


Mad World

by Noizchild



Series: Wasteland 2011 Omakes [3]
Category: Durarara!!
Genre: Bath, F/M, Isolation, Limbo, M/M, Misery, Multi, Post-Apocalypse, Prostitute, Purgatory, Sexual, Sexual Harrassment, Suffering, road story, sexaulity, single dad, wandering
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-21
Updated: 2018-12-21
Packaged: 2019-03-07 20:38:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 12
Words: 39,246
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13442946
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Noizchild/pseuds/Noizchild
Summary: Third omake story in the Wasteland Omake series. A look at Mikado through the post-apocalyptic dying world after the game the eyes of a young American woman who follows him and his son. Will be updated every 21st of the month. May have slight sexual content and some violence.





	1. Matsu

Mad World

_This is only but one of many possibilities of how the end will play out._

Matsu:

_Midnight Walk._

-Jessie-

I love my master very much. It's not that type of love. I don't know how I would survive without him. He was the one who saved me.

I shoved my hands deep into my coat pockets. My master walked beside me, eyes to the ground with a Seven Stars cigarette hanging out of his mouth. I always wondered why he smoked that particular brand. Come to think about it, there is so much that I don't know about Mikado Ryugamine. He barely talks at all. He's always looking at as if something is on his mind. I get the feeling that he's trying to close me out for some reason. Mikado is there, but yet I feel like we are so far away. His son, Akira, ran around in front of us as the little flakes of snow fell in his messy black hair.

"I told you it won't do you any good to ask any questions about me," my master spoke up. I about jumped as I looked up.

"Don't do that!" I shouted.

"Maybe you should try to keep your thoughts to yourself," Mikado said, shrugging. That's another thing about my master. He's not exactly human. Well, he's human, but not human at the same time. He calls himself a tadpole. From what I have heard in the past, they are like gods or something. They have many powers. My master can see a person's inner demons. He has a few other powers as well.

"Maybe you shouldn't be listen in on my thoughts all the time," I said. Mikado took out his cigarette and breathed out the smoke.

"That's just how I am," he said.

"You are a strange man sometimes," I said. I've tried several times to figure him out. I can't tell what is on his mind half of the time. He won't tell me anything about himself. I don't know where he came from or what his motives are. I've tried to get him to open up to me, but he always turns me down.

"The less you know about me, the better," he says.

"Why is that?" I asked. He gently grabbed me by the wrists.

"Let's just leave it at that," Mikado said. Every time he pulls something like that, I come away more frustrated than when I asked him in the first place. I sighed and looked up at the pitch black sky. The tiny flakes of snow fell endlessly around us. I'm still getting used to seeing stars in the city sky. Only dim lighting surrounded the streets of Roppongi. We arrived here three days ago. Akira, my master, and I don't stay in one place for long. At most, we stay for three days. I don't know why we keep moving so much. I want to say that Mikado is looking for something or someone. I could help him, but he won't tell me anything. Akira ran around us with is arms out. Heh, at least he's happy.

"Akira-kun!" Mikado shouted. The little boy froze in his tracks and lowered his arms. My master reached out and patted him on the head.

"Let him be," I said. "He's been cooped up in that hotel room for three days. Can you blame him for being a little antsy? Let him enjoy the snow." Mikado drew back his hand.

"Fine," he muttered. I will get into more about his relationship with Akira at a later time.

"How long are we staying this time?" I asked.

"Hm," my master said. "I don't really know. I haven't really thought about that." We don't stay in one place for too long. What is the whole point? Most of east Japan is practically a ghost town. Six years and it's getting worse. Ikebukuro's been quarantined off. Just looking at it from the pictures, it puts Chernobyl to shame. The government didn't even collect the peoples until three years later. Now, the "plague" that killed Ikebukuro is spreading to the rest of Japan, slowly but surely. Last year, Akihabara, Ginza, and the Meguro Distract all had to be closed off and evacuated when the people started showing the symptoms just like in the rest of Tokyo. Almost all of the city looks vacant. I wonder how long before it reaches the rest of the country. My master doesn't appear to be fazed by any of it. He and his son keep walking. I just follow wherever he goes. I don't have anywhere else to go. Most of everyone close to me has died. Either by the "plague" or murdered. My boyfriend was killed by the former while the latter happened to my mother. Everyone we've run into have lost somebody. I look at my master and wonder who he's lost.

I looked down at all of the footsteps in the snow. Two big sets and one tiny set. I looked at my thick black boots. How long have I had these? I remembered my boyfriend bought me these when we shared our first Christmas together. He used to tease me about how big my feet were. "Elephant hooves" is what he called them. I always did have fat ankles.

"Your ankles are not that fat," Mikado spoke up. I turned to him with big eyes. Does he always have to do that? I shrugged my shoulders. Across the street, I spotted an old wind-up clock in a shop window. 12:45 a.m. already? It didn't feel like it.

"You're not hungry or anything?" my master asked. I lifted my head.

"Hm? Oh, no," I said. "I am a bit thirsty."

"I did see an all-night café a little ways back," Mikado said. "Come with me." He put his arm around my waist and dragged me along.

"You sure that's okay?" I asked.

"Sure," he said. "I don't mind back-tracking for a little bit. We're not going to be staying in Roppongi for long anyway." My master looked over his shoulder.

"Akira! Come!" he shouted. The little boy ran behind us. I gave up on arguing with Mikado at this point. He knew what he was doing. It's still better than where I was six years ago.

* * *

My master found me Kabukicho. Through a chain of circumstances, I ended up in a rough place. Originally, I was born in Seattle Washington. Dad was never in the picture from what I could remember. My family was only grandma, mom, and myself. Mom always struggled to hold down a job. Grandma struggled with her health as well. Despite that, they both made life work for me.

By the time I was ten, two things happened in my life that really set me on this path. First, my grandmother was at her bridge club meeting one evening during the summer. I don't exactly remember how the story went. But, I think she was trying to go upstairs and twisted her ankle. She ended up falling down the stairs. That's the best of how I remember how it went. The details are a bit hazy at best. Either way, she ended up in the hospital. Turns out, my grandmother had a whole host of problems that she had been keeping a secret.

"Why didn't you say anything?" mom asked.

"You have enough problems as it was," grandma said in her bed. "You still need a better job and Jessie's a growing girl." She broke down coughing. How bad had she gotten? She wouldn't tell me every time I went to visit her. Grandma was quick to distract me by changing the subject. We talked about school, my swimming classes, the weather, the good old days, what I wanted for Christmas, and everything else in between. Mom got frustrated when I reported back to her.

"Damn it!" she would complain. "You can't let her distract you like that!" Mom gave up on using me to get information out of grandma. By Christmastime, Grandma's health grew worse. We wondered how long she would hang on. Mom was surprised that she hung on until next year. I remember the day that she day. It was the first day of school for me. Mom called me in the middle of my class on cell phone. I took the call in the girl's bathroom.

"Sweetie, grandma is dead," Mom told me. I literally froze in the bathroom.

"What?" I asked.

"I'm so sorry," she said. I sank to my knees as everything around me disappeared in a blur. I don't remember if mom said anything else in that phone call. The only thing I could hear in my mind was Gary Jules' version of "Mad World". I think I started singing along in that moment. Mom was calling me over the phone, I think. We held the funeral that weekend. My head felt like it was underwater. My life suddenly felt more empty.

The second event that set my life on this path was when mom got a better job. She realized that with grandma dead, she would have to really step up and keep us together. After weeks of applying for different jobs, mom got a call back from a company based in Okinawa, Japan. At first, she wasn't too sure about this.

"Are you okay with possibly moving to another country?" she asked while we were in the park one day.

"Why?" I asked.

"Well, mommy's going in for a job interview today," she said. "If I do get the job, we might have to move one day."

"Why?" I asked.

"Now, I might not get the job," mom told me. "I'm only tell you so there won't be any surprises later on down the road." I didn't know how to take this. I didn't want to leave Seattle, but it was good to see mom doing more than just moping around the house for a change. I pressed my lips together and nodded.

"Okay," I lied. Mom pulled me into an embrace.

"I love you so much," she said. I forced myself to smile as I reluctantly hugged her back. Deep down, part of me hoped that she wouldn't get the job. But, mom kept doing so well on her interviews. I could see in her eyes the excitement that I hadn't seen in my life. She started planning out what she wanted to do once she got the job.

"You've never been outside of Seattle before, have you?" she asked after the third job interview. "I've always wanted to go to California or Texas for vacation. Ooo, maybe we could even go up to Maine or Canada!" Her enthusiasm scared me at times. I would just sit quietly at the table and nod. I hated to think what would happen if she didn't get this job that she was getting excited for. My fears and relief were met the last day of elementary school. I had just gotten home when I found my mom sitting in the living room, smiling. This wasn't the smile she had when she upset or embarrassed either. She looked ready to shout something at the top of her lungs.

"Did something good happen today?" I asked with caution. Mom jumped to her feet.

"I got the job!" she said. It felt like I got hit by a bus. I couldn't move as mom ran over and hugged me. I mean, I was happy that she finally got the job, but I wasn't too thrilled at the possibility that we would possibly leave Seattle for good. Mom picked me up off of the ground.

"We have to go out and celebrate," she said. "Do you feel like Italian or seafood tonight?" I don't remember how I answered her. I don't even think I answered her at all. I was too busy trying to manage the gravity of the situation.

Mom started work at her job in July. I had never seen her so happy before in my life. She started making new friends, eating healthier, cooking more often, dressing more organized, and even falling in love. On the one hand, I was so happy to see her more upbeat and taking better care of herself. But in the back of my mind, I had the feeling that something was going to hit us. I counted down to the day that we would be uprooted.

That time came when I was twelve.

I remembered that summer too. I had my first crush on this boy that was older than me. His parents worked in the same company that my mom did. I thought he was the most beautiful boy that I had ever seen. We met on the playground near my house. I thought he was an angel when I laid eyes on him. He looked so big and brave on that pirate ship in the middle of the park. I loved the way that the sun shone on his short deep brown hair. I loved his grey Nike t-shirt and navy shorts. Could such a beautiful, perfect boy exist? I had to go over and talk to him.

I gathered up my little nerve and walked over to that pirate ship. But then, my cell phone hang.

"Hello?" I asked in a huff.

"Sweetie, where are you right now?" mom asked.

"The playground, why?" I said. I looked at the big plastic pirate ship, pacing around. I hoped that she was just checking on me and I could go back to perusing that boy on the ship.

"I need you to get home as soon as you can," she said. "I have something to tell you." I stamped my foot and groaned.

"But…" I complained.

"Come home right now," she said. I threw back my head and groaned.

"Fine," I grumbled. I hung up before she could say another word. I took one more look at that pirate ship before turning to leave. To my dismay, that beautiful boy was already gone. If I didn't think my day couldn't get any worse, I was about to be in for another shock when I got home.

At dinner, mom announced that her job was shipping her out to Okinawa. Even though I knew this was coming, it still devastated me.

"What?!" I cried.

"Baby, we talked about this," mom said. "You knew this was coming eventually. Work has been going so well lately that they are branching out all over the world." I threw down my fork and folded my arms across my chest.

"I don't want to go!" I shouted.

"You can have no choice, sweetie," she said in a calm tone. "You have nowhere else to go." I stood up and stormed off to my room. I wouldn't come out for the whole weekend. I should've seen this coming, but it still felt like a betrayal. I would have to leave the only place that I knew as home. I didn't have that many friends, but I would still be leaving behind the people I enjoyed talking to. Plus, I would never get to talk to that beautiful boy I met in the playground. I pulled myself into a ball and started crying.

Mom and I started packing up over the course of two weeks. My old room started to look more and more empty with each passing day. We would be moving before I started seventh grade that year. I couldn't see myself in a foreign country. I prayed that this was just a really bad dream that I would wake up from. Mom, on the other hand, was counting down the days to start her new life. She kept calling it a new adventure. She had so many dreams that she wanted after the move.

"It would be nice to have a father figure in your life," she said. Just once I wanted to scream at her to stop grinning all of the time. It felt as if in the process of fixing herself, she lost sight of me.

By moving day, I knew this wasn't a dream anymore. Most of our belongings had already been shipped to the new house in Okinawa. We would be living in company housing. At least, six over families would be leaving the country that year. Mom and those employees would be working on the new branch opening in mainland Japan. We left for the airport that morning. I held my teddy bear to my chest as I sat in the car.

"You still have that bear?" mom asked. I wouldn't even make eye contact.

"Yeah," I said. Mom nudged me on the arm.

"Come on," she said. "Think of this as a start to a new life." I frowned as I looked at the rain on the windshield. Mom turned on the radio and pulled out of our driveway for the last time.

* * *

For the next three years, I got used to Japan. My mom got lost in the new world around her. She found herself a boyfriend in the new branch. His name was Jun and he was from Yokohama. He lived in the mainland, but worked mostly in Okinawa. I didn't have much to say about Jun back then and I still don't now. I was just happy to see mom happy.

"Are you going to marry him?" I asked when I was fourteen. She blushed with the soapy dish rag in her hand.

"I don't know," she confessed. "I haven't thought about that. It still too early for that. We've only been dating for about a year now."

"A year?" I asked.

"Well, I like taking things slow," mom said. "It didn't work out with your father so well. I am not too keen into jumping right into another relationship."

"Whatever you say," I said. By that time, I didn't mind. I had found a boyfriend of my own. You remember that beautiful boy I saw in the playground that day? I have a funny little story to tell you about that.

When I turned thirteen, one of my mom's coworkers gave me a video camera on my birthday. I developed a taste in filming and started recording my trips to mainland Japan on the weekends. On one such trip, I was in Akihabara. I walked around the crowded streets, shooting film like I normally did. I was waiting to cross the street when I happened to spot a cute boy walking into an electronic store. My camera stayed focused on him as something about his profile triggered something in my memories. Where had I seen him from before? My brain ran around in circles, looking for the answer. My camera didn't turn away as the traffic light turned to walk. I headed straight for that electronic store. I watched as that boy in the brown jacket browsed the mp3 player aisle. Why did I start thinking about that boy on the plastic pirate ship back in Seattle?

I should've kept track of how long I was standing there filming because I noticed that boy pull out a cell phone and start filming me back. I jumped with the camera in my hand. What was this? I didn't get to figure that out because the store owner came to me with an angry look on his face.

"Get out of here with that!" he said. I turned off my camera and dashed away as fast as I could. I wound up in a maid café, sitting alone at the window. I watched back the footage of the boy in the store. Where have I seen him from before? For some reason, I wanted to place him on that pirate ship, but I didn't get a good look at that boy's face back then. Mom killed all chances of me being sure of that. I still hadn't gotten over that.

"Is this seat taken?" a heard over my head. I looked up to that boy who I was filming in the electronic store. He appeared just at the same time that he turned his phone on me in the film. My face turned bright red as I tried to delete the footage. This boy looked down at my camera.

"Tell me, do you like filming random strangers for no reason?" he asked. I looked up at him, frowning and blushing.

"No," I mumbled. "But why were you filming me?"

"Why were you filming me?"

I frowned as I puffed up my cheeks. "I didn't mean to. You just remind me of someone I saw back in America." This boy gave me a sympathetic smile.

"May I join you?" he asked.

"If you want to," I mumbled. I tried not to make eye contact as he slid into the booth in front of me. I caught a glance of him out of the corner of my eye. His smile could rival the sun. The boy leaned forward on the table.

"Tell me, are you always filming around the city?" he asked.

"Yeah," I mumbled. "I love filming things."

"My name's Josh. And you are?"

I slowly turned my head. One look at his face and cupid shot me in the chest. His brown eyes pulled me deep into his gaze. I don't think I've ever seen teeth so white. The cheek bones and the jaw line told me he was going to be a man really soon. I tried to put that little boy's face over his.

"J-J-Jessie," I said. Josh's raised his eyebrow.

"Look, I know I'm pretty, but you can talk to me like a normal person," he said. I gave him a blank stare. Usually, I would smack a guy for sounding so cocky. But the way he said that made him that much sexier.

"So what else do you film on there?" Josh asked. I looked down at my camera.

"I just film whatever city I'm in for the weekend," I said.

"Do you film unsuspecting strangers too?" he asked.

"No." I gritted my teeth. "You aren't going to let it go, aren't you?"

"Why should I? You were the one filming me without my permission."

I sat back with my arms folded across my chest. "Look, I'm sorry. I got caught up in the moment. Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?" Josh leaned in with a cat-like smirk.

"Let me take you out on date," he said. All of the color drained from my face.

"What?!" I asked. Josh smirked as he shrugged at me.

"Hey, what do you have to lose?" he asked. "On the one hand, the date can be the best thing you've ever had, but on the other it could be a disaster. You have a fifty-fifty chance of this playing in your favor. So, what's it going to be?" I didn't whether to scream or hit him. How can such a person sound so arrogant? I could've just got up and walked away.

"We don't have to do anything fancy and lavish," Josh added. "We can just have lunch here and then walk around Akihabara."

"Wait, you want to go on a date… now?" I asked.

"Yeah," Josh said, nodding. How did this happen?

"So… Are we on a date… now?" I asked.

"If you want us to be" he said. I struggled for something to say for ten minutes. At last, I gave up and lowered my eyes.

"Fine, we're on a date now," I complained. Josh smirked and raised his arm in the air. A waitress came by our table.

"Are you ready to order?" she asked. Josh sat back smiling. Our "date", if you can call it that, was rather… awkward. I didn't know what to make of the guy. This cocky asshole couldn't have been the boy on the pirate ship. But, he acted like a gentleman around me. Josh didn't try to do anything perverted or say anything degrading. In fact, he treated me like a person. His eyes stayed on my face. Josh didn't let me pay for lunch.

"I don't let girls pay on the first date," he said. "Besides, I pushed this on you. Let me be the one to treat you today." I sat there was dumb look on my face.

"O… Okay…" I said. He meant that too. Josh paid for everything. We spent that Saturday walking around the rest of Akihabara. I went back to filming on my camera. Josh and I talked as he added commentary to my film. To my surprise, the date turned out rather nice.

"Can I see you again?" I asked. Josh gently patted me on the head.

"You can see me any time you want," he said. "Give me your number." I took out my phone and exchanged numbers with him. It didn't take long for us to start dating. Everything was going good for me that year. I was starting to like Japan and mom was happy with her boyfriend and job. Maybe, I foolishly believed that our happiness could last.

That all got wiped away when the apocalypse happened.

It all started when Ikebukuro became infected with a plague, killing almost the entire population. Over three days, that neighborhood became a ghost town. The government officials cordoned it off from the rest of the city, but the damage was already done. The plague was starting to spread through Tokyo. More and more people started to flee the city. Nobody could figure out what the cause was or how to reverse the effects. There wasn't enough to time to find the cure either. How long before all of Japan became infected? What about the rest of the world?

Josh and I were in Akihabara when the plague started to spread through Tokyo. We were at the train station when things started to shut down. I had put my pass through the slot in the gate, but it got rejected.

"What's going on?" I asked. I tried three more times, but no dice. Josh tried with his pass and got the same results.

"What the hell?" he asked. The jingle of the loudspeaker ripped through the air.

"Attention passengers, all trains arriving in and departing from Tokyo have been canceled," the lady said. "I repeat, all trains arriving in and departing from Tokyo have been canceled. That is all." Collective groans and what's filled the station. I turned to Josh with a worried look on my face. He put his hand on my shoulder.

"I'm sure that this won't be too long," he said. "We'll probably be back in Okinawa by tomorrow." His words didn't sound so sure. I pulled out my cell phone and tried to call home.

"What the hell?" I asked. My phone's screen was pitch black. I tried to turn it on, nothing happened.

"I know I charged this thing up last night," I said. "I don't remember dropping it or anything."

"What's the matter?" Josh asked. I showed him my cell phone.

"Is the battery dead?" he asked.

"It shouldn't be," I said. "I charged it last night like I always do. It won't turn on or anything." Josh pressed many buttons, but nothing happened.

"Are you're sure you charged it up?" he asked.

"Yes!" I insisted.

"Hang on," Josh said. He reached into his bag and pulled out his own phone. My boyfriend looked just as confused as I was.

"The fuck?" he asked.

"What's the matter?" I asked. Before Josh could answer, we looked around when we heard people freaking out. Every single cell phone stopped working in the train station. I remembered hearing something like this happening in Ikebukuro. This was the first sign of the plague.

"Oh no…" I murmured. I reached for Josh's hand.

How was this possible? They had closed off Ikebukuro. All I could think about was my mom. I would usually be on the train back to the boat station by now.

"I think I'm going to be sick," I whispered.

For a whole year, it turned into waiting and seeing. Every day, I worried about my mom. I couldn't contact her and I couldn't leave Tokyo. Josh and I stayed holed up in that hotel room we stay in Akihabara. He tried to comfort me, but I could see that he was starting to get worried too. I thought about trying to reach mom's boyfriend, but I couldn't remember his address.

"I think he lives somewhere in Aoyama," I said in a panic as I paced around in the hotel room on the first night. "I don't have a way to reach him and I don't remember where he lives. Oh, what am I going to do? What am I going to do?" Josh pulled me into his arms.

"Calm down!" he shouted. "We can still try to call back home." My boyfriend pointed over at the phone on the nightstand. I blinked for a minute.

"Oh…" I mumbled. Now that I thought about, people were lined up everywhere trying to use the payphones around Akihabara. I guess they had the same idea Josh had just now.

"You're right," I said. "I forgot about that."

"You go first," he said.

"Thanks," I said. I walked over and dialed my house. My stomach turned as I heard it ringing.

"Come on. Pick up. Pick up," I whispered.

"Hello?" I heard my mom said on the other line. I breathed out as I flopped back onto the bed.

"Mom, it's me," I said.

"Jessie? Jessie, is that you?" she asked. "Are you okay? Where are you are?"

"Yes, mom," I said. "Are you okay?"

"Yes. I have Anzai with me."

"Oh, that's good. Josh and I are in a hotel room at the moment. We can't leave and our phones don't work. It's just like it was in Ikebukuro."

"You're not hurt or anything, are you?"

"No."

"I will send you money by morning, okay?"

"Okay, thank you. I love you, mom."

"I love you too, baby."

I hung and looked over at Josh. I handed him the phone and he got to call his parents back in Okinawa.

Just like everyone else trapped in Tokyo, we had to try and make things work. The trains were still shut down by one month later. Cell phones had become useless. Nobody was allowed to leave any part of Tokyo. Rumor had it that people still trapped in Ikebukuro had escaped and were wandering the city.

"Something like that isn't possible," Josh said over a pizza dinner in our hotel room in the middle of July. "They've got that whole area on lock down. There is no way anyone could get in or out of there."

"So why are we on lock down?" I asked.

"Probably one of the survivors they picked up was a carrier and spread it to someone on the outside."

"How much long are we going to be like this?" I asked. "I want to go home. I miss seeing my mom in person and I'm running out of film again." I looked at my video camera sitting in the corner of the room, charging. When did that stop being fun? Josh rubbed me on the shoulder.

"We will get home soon," he told me. "They might find out this was a hoax or find a way to fix it. We will be getting home. Keep that in mind." The more he spoke, the more I desperately wanted to believe him. By now, Josh was starting to doubt himself. I couldn't blame him. Everyone in Akihabara felt cut off. The only way people could keep in talk with each other was the land lines, internet, or in person. Supplies had to be flown in and delivered to the people of Tokyo. Why couldn't we take to the skies and leave? I wondered that. We all waited and waited for something to happen. Where would the plague strike next?

In the second year of the lock down, Josh couldn't take it anymore.

"Pack up, we are leaving!" he said in mid-October.

"But where?" I asked.

"Anywhere!" he shouted. "I can't stand this anymore! I hate this hotel room. Akihabara's become boring. Plus, the interest has been slowing down everywhere."

"Wait, what?" I asked.

"Yeah, the internet start slowing down this morning," Josh said. "I went down to the laptop to check my e-mail, but the clerk at the front desk told me that the internet in the hotel was down."

"Are you sure it's not just the hotel?"

"That was my thought too. The internet has been slowing down in hotels, internet cafés, manga cafes, and everywhere else in Akihabara."

"You're kidding. You don't think…?"

"I do not wish to find out. Pack up now!"

I leapt off of the bed and started packing up. Josh paid our bill and we took the only running bus to Shinjuku. At the time, we didn't know that the plague was taking over at slow, but massive rate. We didn't know that people exposed would show the symptoms for months or even years. By the time the bus reached Shinjuku, government officials were turning us back.

"What's going on?" the bus driver asked.

"We cannot allow you entry," one of the guards said. "This part of Tokyo is on lockdown. You have to turn back." Every passenger on the bus looked at each other with stunned looks on their faces. First Ikebukuro and now Shinjuku? I grabbed Josh by the hand.

"What do we do now?" I whispered.

"We will keep going," he said back.

"But where?"

"Anywhere!" He snorted as he squeezed my hand.

"Ow," I said through clenched teeth. I happened to look up and notice the other passengers were staring at us.

"So, where can I go?" the driver asked the guard outside.

"You will have to go back or change your route," the guard said. "But you will not be allowed to pass." The passengers groaned around us. So, the bus turned around back to Akihabara. That didn't mean, Josh and I went back. We ended up heading towards Harajuku. However, I ended up being hit with another tragedy.

It all started when we side-tracked to Kabukicho. Josh said that he pick up something in that district.

"But isn't that near Shinjuku?" I asked.

"It's okay," he said. "It will only take a day. I will be back by tomorrow. I promise. Just go onto Harajuku without me."

"But how will you find me?" I asked.

"Go to the Shibuya Tobu Hotel. Try and get us a room there. Here." He handed me his credit card. "Just use this. I will come by the hotel and look for you." Josh sighed when he saw the desperate look on my face.

"I'll be back, I promise," he said. My boyfriend gave me a quick kiss before he got back into the cab. I stood on the sidewalk and watched it pull away.

That would be last time I would see Josh looking so healthy.

A day wound up be three days. On top of having no way to contact him, I didn't know where in Kabukicho he went. I didn't hear anything different on the news saying that the plague had spread to that part in Tokyo. I tried to distract myself by talking to mom every day and looking for anything to film in Harajuku. Everything appeared normal in that neighborhood. I didn't stop thinking about Josh at all.

One morning, I got a phone call from the front desk.

"Hello?" I asked, half-asleep. I heard heavy panting on the other line.

"Hello?" I asked.

"Jessie!" a voice wheezed on the other line.

"It's me, Jessie."

My eyes widened as I shot up straight. "Josh?" I heard a raspy chuckle on the other line.

"I finally made it to Harajuku," he said.

"Okay… Why don't you come up to the room? I'm in room 295."

Josh chuckled over the phone. "I really wish that I could, but…" I about jumped at the sound of loud coughing.

"Baby?" I asked.

"I'm fine," he said. The coughing grew louder on the other line. I had never heard such a sound as he coughed harder. I hung up and ran out of the room. By the time I got down to the lobby, the guards stopped me in the hall.

"I'm sorry, you can't go in there," one of them said, pushing me back.

"Why not?!" I screamed. I tried to get a peek over his shoulder. Josh was slumped over on the receptionist desk, pale and couching. He could barely hold himself up. My boyfriend lifted his head and laughed while coughing.

"Oh, I didn't want you to see me like this," he whispered.

"Josh! Josh! Josh!" I screamed as I tried to push past the guards.

"I'm sorry, miss," the other guard told me. "He's going downtown into quarantine."

"Quarantine?" I asked. "Can't you take him to the hospital?"

"We don't know how bad off he is," the first guard explained. "He needs to be taken and examined before we can figure out what to do next."

"He needs medical help!" I shouted. No sooner had I said that, Josh started coughing again. A huge ball of blood splashed onto the reception desk. Josh collapsed to the tiled floor.

"Josh!" I screamed as I fought to run over to him. The guards pushed me further back as government officials walked into the lobby. They picked Josh up from the floor and carried him off with them. I screamed as he disappeared from view. The last thing I remembered before blanking out was collapsing to my knees, sobbing.

* * *

Josh stayed in quarantine days. I couldn't understand why he went to Kabukicho. He should've known that the plague would've spread from Shinjuku. What the hell was he thinking? Talking to mom on the hotel phone helped me stay calm. At best, I helped that they would give Josh some medicine to help him leave quarantine. But, I still couldn't get the gut feeling that the worst was coming.

Ten days later, I heard a knock on my hotel door.

"Yes?" I asked.

"Is this Jessie Goodwin's room?" a man's deep voice asked.

"Yes?" I asked. Curious, I walked over to the door and removed the tissue from the peep hole. A government official stood outside in the hallway. I opened the door a crack.

"Yes?" I asked.

"I'm sorry to inform you of this but your boyfriend died last night," he said. I felt like everything inside of me drained through the floor. Everything went black as I hit the floor.

When I came to, I was lying on the hotel bed. A maid was sitting at the foot.

"Oh good, you're awake," she said. "Are you okay?" I sat up, blinking.

"What happened?" I asked. "Who are you?"

"You fainted a couple of hours ago," the maid said. "The government official put you on the bed and asked me to keep watch over you until came to." It all sank in as I started to remember. My eyes filled with tears.

"I'm so sorry for your loss," the maid said. I dropped my head and cried.

* * *

I had to survive on my own after Josh's death. I couldn't go home and I didn't know anyone else on the mainland. My boyfriend's credit card could only go so far. I only used my cash cards to pay for food and supplies that I needed. I would probably need to make some money for myself in case the inevitable happened. Everywhere I looked, everyone was tense about the situation going down. The government was trying to fly people out of Tokyo last year, but now that's becoming too risky. Healthy people were suddenly coughing up blood and collapsing in the streets around Akihabara, Shibuya, and the Shibuya District. Nobody could figure out how this plague was being spread. It seemed to change patterns whenever it felt like it. People were trying to pin down the symptoms.

I just wanted to go home. Filming lost all of its appeal. Talking to mom on the phone was the only one keeping me sane. I couldn't help but wonder what Josh had to go Kabukicho to risk his life for. The more I thought about, the angrier I became. What was he thinking?

I got sick of staring at my hotel room one night in April and decided to get a job. I went down to the hotel restaurant to get something to eat and clear my head. I looked out the window with my bowl of ramen. There was a time where I could get lost looking at the city at night while I stayed on the mainland over the weekends. But now, it just makes me feel sad. I began to think back on the happier times I had filming Ikebukuro, Harajuku, Akihabara, and all of the other neighborhoods in Tokyo. Josh would throw in little comments as I walked around filming. I'd cut together little movies when I came home. I reached up and wiped away my tears.

"Something the matter, darling?" I heard over my head. I looked up to see a man in a black t-shirt and jeans handing me a handkerchief. I took it, blinking.

"Thank you," I whispered.

"May I sit down?" he asked.

"Sure," I said. The man took a seat in front of me. His grey-framed glasses made him look kind of geeky. I tried not to look at his crooked teeth.

"What are you eating there?" he asked. Everything about this guy screamed creepy to me. I wanted to run away when he smiled. What was up with his mustache too? I grabbed my bowl and pulled it towards my chest.

"Ramen," I mumbled. "It's my dinner."

"I see," the man said. "You aren't in a talkative mood, are you?"

"I don't know who you are."

"Ah. My name is Gushiken Eichi. What is your name?"

"Jessie."

"Nice to meet you, Jessie."

"Yeah." I didn't feel the same way about him. In fact, I started to eat faster.

"I overheard you at the front desk asking about any jobs in the area," Eichi spoke up. I glanced up at him with my eyes narrowed.

"Why?" I asked. I didn't like where this was headed. Mom warned me about these type of people. "I will not be involved in some sort of prostitution or organ trade!" Eichi started laughing.

"What?" I asked.

"Is that what you foreigners think men like me are?" he asked. I puffed up my cheeks as I looked away.

"Not really," I mumbled. "Just you."

"Aw, that's not very nice," Eichi said. "I just came by because I wanted to talk to you about a job offer."

"Why me?" I asked. The man looked around the restaurant for a bit before leaning in closer.

"To be honest with you," he said. "Kabukicho is running out of employees because this damned plague. But don't worry, that part of Tokyo is monitored every day for anyone who's contaminated."

"Is that right?"

"Yes. We could use more young ladies like you to help keep Kabukicho alive as long as possible." He took hold of my hand before I could speak up.

"Rest assured, it will be nothing illegal," Eichi insisted. "I am just looking for a waitress at my friend's café until he can find more workers. The way I see it, anything is better than being holed up in this hotel with nothing to do as this city dies around you. Interested?" He got me with the being holed up in the hotel bit. As much as I hated to admitted, but he did have a point. I was itching just to get out of my hotel room at least.

"Well?" Eichi asked. I puffed up my cheeks as I weighed my options.

* * *

The next day, I headed off to Kabukicho with Eichi. I still didn't like where this was headed, but I couldn't stand sitting around in that hotel room any longer either. Once we reached Kabukicho, Eichi took care of the paperwork. I watched him write three words across the top underneath my name.

"Female, 20, uncontaminated."

These were going to be my selling points to get a job in Kabukicho. These were my ticket for survival in this new world. But, there was a problem. Only two of these were right. I was a female and I was "uncontaminated" as the people here claimed. But, I was only sixteen years old at the time.

"Details, details," Eichi brushed off. "It's not like anyone's going to do a background check. Besides, you look a little more grown up for your age. You could easily pass yourself off as a twenty-year-old American woman. Just don't say anything, okay?" I reluctantly nodded. Still, I didn't like where this was headed.

I ended up working as a waitress in a sex club. I noticed that only women seemed to have an easier time getting jobs in this part of the city. Only problem was that it was for sex. They didn't do it for money either. Most of them did it for food. I prayed that I would have to become desperate enough for that route. Eichi became my handler and got me the job. I caught on to where this would be going when they asked me some rather person questions.

"Are you a virgin?" the lady asked.

"Yes," I said.

"Do you have any diseases?"

"No."

"Are you willing to submit to an physical examination?"

I gulped and crossed my legs. "Yes."

"Have you been exposed to the plague?"

"No."

"Are you willing to submit to an examination of that as well."

"Yes." I thought those questions would never end. The examinations were worse. The plague I could handle. After that, they stripped me naked and probed me between the legs and bottom. After all that, they gave a clean bill of health.

"She's ready for work," the nurse told Eichi.

"Excellent," that bastard said. The nurse gave him 200,000,000 yen. I sat on the floor, naked and huddled in a ball. I just wanted to die in that moment.

* * *

I had to serve drinks for the men every night. I worked from seven at night to six in the morning. This place stilled haunted my nightmares. The club was named Iris'. The dim lavender lights hurt my eyes. I would get a headache just by walking from all of the cigarette smoke. I would have to swallow it down and get through my shift. My uniform consisted of hot pants and a halter top. Sometimes it would be a skirt that was too short for me. (It just depended on what the manager felt like dressing me up in for the night.) I didn't enjoy feeling exposed like this. The high heels didn't help either. The more handsy of the customers were worse. I couldn't tell you how many times my boobs and ass were grabbed. One times, I smacked a middle-aged man in the hand so hard that his drink spilled in his lap. The manager had to pull me into the back and have a nice long chat with me.

"You have to remember that the customer is always right," he told me. "If he wants to grope your ass, you let him. You should be thankful that we gave you a job here. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir," I grumbled.

"That's a good girl," my manager said. He smacked me hard on the ass as I walked back out to the club. Still, I stuck it out. What other choice did I have? I still couldn't go home and I had nowhere else to go. Sure, Eichi put me up in housing, but it was with thirty other women in the sex trade and there was no landline. I had to go across the street and call mom. To my relief, she and her boyfriend were still holding up well. Okinawa was still doing well compared to Tokyo. Sometimes, I envied her. She didn't have to deal with seeing people collapsing in the street after coughing up blood. She had our neighbors and her boyfriend to keep her together. I couldn't bring myself to tell her what I was doing now. It would just break her heart. Josh's parents quit the company and moved back to the states after the death of their son. They weren't even allowed to go to Harajuku to collect his body.

In a way, I was still lucky. I was still alive. I was clean and still a virgin. I had a job, somewhere to live, and food to eat. I thought I could stick out this sleazy cesspool a little bit longer. I believed that this would be it for me.

That when it all changed one night in August.

I was working my usual shift in Iris'. Five months in and I was about numb to everything. I could block out the cat calls and the groping. I even expected one of the usual guys in the corner to try and take a picture up my skirt again. I figured that I was used to all of this by now.

"Here are your drinks," I said to three thuggish looking men who looked about twenty or twenty-one as I handed each of their beers to them. I tried to ignore their hungry eyes on me as I leaned down. One of those perverts grabbed me by the wrist. I winced at his grip.

"Hey," I said. "Let go, I have to get back to work." A thug with dyed blonde hair licked his lips at me.

"This place is lame," he said. "Why do my boys and I show you what a real good time is?" His other two friends snickered as I tried to put on a brave face. I tried to laugh it off as I slipped from his grip.

"Maybe some other time," I said. "I have to work right now." I picked up my tray and walked away from the table. The blonde thug hit me on the ass as hard he could. I bit my lower lip and kept walking. I wasn't going to give him and his creepy little friends the satisfaction.

The night dragged on like it normally did. I bit my tongue with all those men groping me and making inappropriate comments about me. I told myself that it could be worse and that I could handle it. I happened to glance out of the corner of my eye to see that blonde thug talking to my manager. Oh great, he's making up some crap about me to get me in trouble for turning him down. I rolled my eyes and went back to work.

Around midnight, I was about to head on break in the back when someone grabbed me on the shoulder. Against my better judgement, I turned my head. That blonde creep stood over me smiling like a junkie. I didn't even get a chance to speak up as he dragged me outside.

Wham!

My back touched the metal of the trash bin behind me. When I opened my eyes, the asshole and his buddies looked at me snickering.

"What the hell?!" I shouted. The blonde douchebag smirked at me.

"I just rented you out for the rest of the night," he bragged.

"What?" I asked. He slammed his hand against the trash bin.

"We can do whatever we want to do," the blonde douchebag said. I reeled back from the smell of his breath.

"No!" I shouted. "Get off of me!" That bastard tried to kiss me. I slapped him in the face as hard as I could. The blonde thug gritted his teeth.

"You bitch!" he shouted. He smacked me in face back hard enough to make my lower jaw ache. I screamed as he ripped open my white blouse.

"Oh-ho!" he said as she looked down at my black and red lace bra. "Looks like the little virgin was looking for some action tonight, boys!"

"Let me go!" I screamed. I struggled to push him off of me.

"What's going on here?" someone asked. We looked up to see a man staring at us from further down the alley. His blue eyes seemed to glow in the dark as they glared at the blonde thug. This man walked over to us. The blonde thug snorted.

"Who the fuck are you?" he asked. "We saw her first! If you want a ride, you'll have to get in line!"

"Let her go," the man said in a calm voice. The blonde thug gritted his teeth.

"What did you say, shithead?!" he shouted.

"I said, let her go," the man repeated, never raising his voice. The blonde thug let go of me as if in a daze.

"Yes, sir," he said.

"Now, you and your sad pathetic friends go and walk back inside," the man said. "When you sit down to your drink, you will forget this whole situation." I looked around as the other thugs went into a daze. What was going on?

"Yes, sir," the thugs all said. I looked around as they walked past the man and myself into back into the club. I turned and stared at the man looking back at me.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"H-H-How did you do that?" I asked. The man shrugged. I got a better look at him under the dim lights. I wanted to run my fingers through his short black spikey hair. Was it possible for eyes to be that blue? Despite it being the hottest night of the year, he wore a long black trench coat.

"It's best that you don't know the how," he told me. "What is your name?" I moved my hand to my exposed chest.

"Jessie," I answered him. He was Japanese, but he spoke perfect English. Something about his voice calmed me down. "Who are you?"

"My name is Mikado Ryugamine," he said. "Nice to meet you." I blinked at him as I tried to figure him out.

"I don't get it," I said.

"Get what?" Mikado asked.

"Why did you save me?"

"Would you rather have been left at the hands of those thugs?" He laughed as I shook my head, shivering. "Didn't think so."

"That's not funny," I muttered in a low voice.

"Would you like to get out of here?" Mikado asked. I stared at him, wide-eyed.

"And go where?" I asked.

"Anywhere," this strange man said. "It's certainly better than staying here. Besides, Kabukicho will share the same fate as Ikebukuro and Shinjuku in three weeks' time." I tilted my head.

"How do you know all of that?" I asked.

"I just know," Mikado said. "If you are going to leave with me, we have to go tonight."

"Wait… right now?"

"Yes. Do you have anything of value that you need to get from wherever you were staying?"

"Just my video camera, some clothes, and my wallet."

"Alright, we'll go get those things."

"But… what about them?" I nudged my head over to the club. Mikado looked at the building.

"Don't worry, I'll handle it," he said. Within an hour, I was released from working in that hellhole. Mikado and I went back to that apartment and gathered up my things. We left Kabukicho around midnight. And sure enough, Kabukicho fell into ruin three weeks later.

"Whoa! How did you know?" I asked. "Are you psychic or something?" Mikado put his finger to my lips.

"I told before, do not ask questions about me," he said.

* * *

-Present Day-

Mikado sat across from me and watched me drink my coffee. That's another thing about my master. I've never seen him eat or drink anything. He never seems to lose any weight. When he does eat, it's usually in small portions. I was really worried about his health in our earlier days together.

"It's fine," he insisted. "I don't usually eat much anyway." My master watches Akira and I eat and drink.

"You sure you don't want any coffee yourself?" I asked.

"No, I'm good," he said. "Yes, I am a sure." I looked down into my coffee.

"Alright," I said in a low voice.

"That ring on your chain, where did you get it?" Mikado asked. I paused and looked down at the silver chain around my neck. A silver and topaz ring hung in the middle. My heart sank as I looked down at the orange gems on the surface.

"Oh," I said.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to," he said quickly, waving his hands back and forth. I shook my head.

"It's okay," I said. "This was what got my boyfriend killed. We were supposed to go to Harajuku when the trip to Shinjuku went bust. Josh said there was something in Kabukicho that he had to pick up. He said he would meet me in the hotel the next day." My eyes began to fill with tears.

"Five days later, Josh arrived at the hotel, but they wouldn't let him up to my room," I said. "He ended up with the plague and died in quarantine. His parents couldn't even pick up his body for the funeral. The government said that he had this in his possession. He had his grandma's ring fitted for my size. Seems kind of foolish, doesn't it? He risked his life for a piece of jewelry."

"I don't think so. He did it as a gesture of love."

"A piece of jewelry wasn't worth his life."

"I guess he thought that since the world was ending, he might as well."

"I still don't think it's worth it." I finished off my coffee before setting aside my cup. Akira had his little head leaned against my side as he slept. I reached over for a napkin and wiped away the drool from his little mouth. My master leaned forward with his chin propped up on his hands.

"I've decided, we're leaving Roppongi tonight," Mikado said.

"So soon?" I asked. "Is the plague coming here too?"

"Yes," he said.

"Where will we be going this time?"

"I haven't figured that one out yet." Mikado snubbed out the butt of his cigarette and looked out the window. I ran my eyes down his profile. Six years and I still haven't figured him out. He was determined to keep it that way too.

"I think we should get out of Tokyo this time," my master added.

"You sure?" I asked.

"Tokyo is dead. There is nothing for us here. Most of the people have already left and scattered to the rest of Japan. We should do the same."

"Is that right?"

"Yeah."

"Okay then." Wherever he goes, I will follow him and Akira. He's the only thing I have to survive. I can't go home and I have no family. With this world ending, I have no idea what will happen next. But with my master and his son, I at least have a chance to hold on a little bit longer.


	2. Ume

Ume:

I do not know where my master goes sometimes. He will disappear in the middle of the night for hours at a time and then come back in the morning. Just like everything else, he won't tell me where he goes. I am happy when he does return.

-Mikado-

I woke up in the middle of the night. It's always the same in some hotel room. The darkness makes me want to hurl. Why do I even do this anymore? I looked over at Jessie-san and Akira-kun sound asleep in the other bed. If I didn't have them around, I wouldn't know what to do with myself. But sometimes, I have to get away from them. Don't get me wrong, I do care about them. Akira-kun is all I have of my wife now. Jessie, I picked up because I felt her pain and desperation that night in Kabukicho. But, I have to get away from them at times.

I climbed out of bed and got dressed. There was only one place that I had to go to escape. I bid Akira-kun and Jessie-san a good night before I slipped out of the room. Once in the hall, I lit up another cigarette and took a smoke. The former version of myself doesn't exist anymore. He died along with everyone else when the hell known as the Wasteland took over. That bastard Kitano cursed me to live forever in this dying world. Every day, I see Tokyo itself rotting away. Cell phones are useless now. Same with money. Most of the power keeps going out. Everyone I ever cared about are gone. I don't know where Celty is. She probably went back to her homeland. To be honest, lucky her. Sometimes, I wish that I would find her again to kill me. But, who would take care of Akira-kun and Jessie-san?

I shook my head.

There I go again. Getting myself depression won't do any good. I shoved my hands into my pockets and walked down the hall.

* * *

I looked around as I walked out the back way of the hotel. I counted down to twenty as I walked down into the alley. I rested my hand against a brick wall and closed my eyes. The hard brick turned into thin air. When I opened my eyes, I walked through.

Within thirty minutes, I appeared into a bright red lobby. A girl in and black and red kimono dress looked up from the phone.

"Mikado-kun!" she said. "You're back!"

"Hello, Miiko-chan," I said.

"Are you here to see her again?" Miiko asked. She turned to the wall of keys and pulled out the key to Room 278.

"Here you are," she said.

"Thank you," I said. Miiko knows what I want, maybe too well. I try not to look her in the eye when I come here. She knows that I need this.

"Enjoy your night," Miiko said. I waved her off as she winked at me. I walked down the hall with my hands in my pockets. I didn't see Ryu tonight. He's probably looking for the right room on another floor. I haven't seen anyone from the Blue Squares here either. After all of this time, I can't bring myself to face them. They died because of me. That bastard had them killed because they were associated with me. He wanted to isolate me from everyone I cared about. All for what? Just so I could witness the disgusting horrors of his game? Thinking back on that now makes me want to vomit.

I came up to the elevator and hit the up button. As the doors opened, I could already see how this night would play out. I already know that she's waiting for me. It's turned into a habit of mine. Any normal person would've tried to quit and save their dying relationships. But, they wouldn't be in this Wasteland hell in the first place, would they? I rubbed my forehead, frowning. I want to yell at myself to stop thinking about thinking my misery. I came here to get away from all of that for a night. Have I really been broken down that much for so long?

The opening doors drew back into reality. Until I reach my destination, I shut down all thoughts in my mind. Before I know it, I am standing at the door to Room 278. First, I knocked on the door.

"Enter!" a woman's voice croaked. I pulled out my key and unlocked the door.

The French perfume in the room is strong enough to make my eyes water. I still get annoyed by these super senses that I have. The soft lo-fi jazz on the record player canceled out the irritation that am I feeling.

"So good to see you again, Mikado-kun," the woman's raspy woman rang through my ears. I looked up towards the back of the suite. She sat in the darkness with her glowing gold eyes locked on me. This woman looked like a queen in her plush dark purple armchair. She flipped back her long wavy lilac hair. I bowed my head.

"Good evening, Cheri-san," I said. I took my shoes off and set them by the door. Cheri flicked out her own cigarette.

"Are you here for Niki again tonight?" she asked.

"You know me well," I said, bowing my head. Cheri reached over and pressed the call button on the oak nightstand.

"Niki, your husband here is!" she said.

"Yes, mama," a woman's voice said softly. Cheri turned her focus onto me.

"How are you holding up?" she asked. Her tone dropped into one of a parent about to discipline an unruly child.

"I am fine, thank you," I said. The old version of myself who be intimidated into telling all of my darkest secrets when she dropped her tone like that. But, I guess I am so numb to it all now. Cheri smiled and shook her head.

"Mikado-kun," she said. "It is okay to lie here, but you can't keep lying to yourself out here. Remember that."

"I will take that to heart," I said. "Excuse me." I bowed and walked past her.

"You can still work for me, you know?" Cheri said. I waved her off as I disappeared down the narrow hall.

* * *

Purgatory is a maze. Soon halls lead into dead ends. Some rooms have no floor, causing you to fall through as soon as you open the doors. You could end up going around in circles if you aren't careful. I understood how poor Ryu-san feels sometimes. Even more rooms have secret passages way to other rooms. Cheri uses this to her advantage. The halls lead to her "kittens" and "puppies" as she calls them. She hides the pathway behind a deep purple curtain. I can barely see anything as I walk down here. I counted down the steps until I saw her again. Husband, heh.

I could smell the faint scent of jasmines in the darkness. Despite coming back here many times, my heart started racing. I could already play out how this was going to go. Moaning filled the otherwise empty space. The kittens and puppies must be very busy tonight.

I was here to only see one kitten in particular.

At the end of the hall, I arrived at an unmarked door. I knocked on the solid oak.

"Come in," a meek voice said. I turned the brass knob and walked inside. The light from the moon in the high windows and the candles lit on the floor provided the only source of light in the room. She sat on the bed of linen and Egyptian silk like a princess. She's just as beautiful as I remembered her. The light reflected off of her cool, pale skin. Tonight, she had her long light brown hair tied back into a messy ponytail with a large pink bow. Her make-up was done so well that sometimes I couldn't tell if she was wearing any or not. Though, her lips looked a bit glossy tonight. The first thing everyone notices about her is her large breasts. No matter what she wore, her chest size drew so much attention to her. Her sugar pink kimono and dark purple obi completed her princess look.

"Welcome home, Darling," she said, bowing. I closed the door behind me and snubbed out my cigarette.

"I'm home, Niki-chan," I said. I walked over and lifted her chin. Staring into her deep red eyes took me back. I was happier back then. I still had my friends and my gang. Most of all I still had her. Things were so much easier back then. Despite hating a normal life, I would give anything to have it back.

"Darling?" Niki-chan asked. I jerked myself back into reality.

"You're crying," she said. Tears ran down my cheeks. I reached up and wiped them away.

"Oh, I apologize," I said. "You just reminded me of a time when I was happier."

"Are you alright?" Niki-chan asked.

"Yeah," I said. "Give a me minute."

"Do you want me to ready while you do that?" she asked. I nodded once. She kissed me on the lips.

"I will be right back," Niki-chan said. She slipped off of the bed and walked into her small bedroom. I sat down on the bed in her place. What am I doing? I always find myself coming back here? I know it's to fill a void that's my heart. It doesn't work. I could already see how this was a going to play out.

I pressed my hand to forehead, laughing to myself. So this is what it feels like to slowly go insane.

"I am so fucked up," I muttered to myself.

"I don't think you are," Niki-chan said. I turned around to see her walking out of the bathroom. She had on a short black wig and glasses. I stood up as I saw a flash of Akira-kun's mother again.

"Anri…-chan?" I asked. Niki-chan began to blush.

"Please treat me kind," she pleaded softly. I walked over to her as if in a daze. I cupped her cheeks and kissed on the lips. I shouldn't be getting excited like this. She's not Anri-chan. She's not Anri-chan!

I pulled Niki-chan to the bed and pushed her down. She looked up at me with her eyes filled with a lusty hazy. I panted as stared down at her. It feels like I being dared to move first. Almost unconsciously, I slid my black shirt over my head. When I looked down, Niki-chan's cheeks turned bright red.

"Easy, dear," I said in a low voice. I threw my shirt aside. Niki-chan reached up to touch me, but I gently seized her wrist.

"No?" she asked. I shook my head. I rested her hand back down by her side. I reached down and yanked loose her obi that she had tied in the front. The kimono fell open revealing more of her pale skin. How many times have I done this? I've lost count. When I am with these kittens, I tend to block out everything from my mind. Where some people turn to drugs, liquor, or gambling to cope with an emotion they don't want to deal with, I run to Cheri and her pets. Only with them, that void is filled.

I leaned in for another kiss. My hands rubbed Niki-chan's shoulders as they took hold of her kimono. This is where the line between her and Anri-chan start to blur. As I undress, I feel like I am close to Anri-chan again. It's like she comes back from the dead to spend one more intimate night with me.

Her panties were the last thing to go between us. I couldn't take my eyes off her curves. Niki-chan slowly parted her thighs for me.

"Not yet," I said. I rested my lips onto her throat.

"Mmm," Niki-chan said. Her voice fucks with my head. It feels like the moment Anri and I slept together before she became pregnant. I was at a low point in my life. She used her body to calm me down. In a way, I still feel guilty about that. It felt like I was using her in a way. It's just like I'm using Niki-chan in way.

She shifted into place underneath me. I listen to her body to increase the pleasure. She lets me know when I am touching her right. Niki-chan likes when I play with her breasts. I listened to Anri's body as well when we were in our most intimate. The other girls around Purgatory and even Limbo say that I'm a god in bed. I just listen to their needs.

"What do you want tonight?" I asked.

"You," she said. "I just want you." I can't tell if this is a game or if she really means it. I don't know what my feelings for her are. Part of me does feeling  _something_. But, I'm not sure if it's because of her or if I see Anri-chan in her. The more I see, the more I get lost in this fantasy that I'm too scared to let go of.

Niki-chan reaches up to touch me, but I push back her hand. I hesitate when she tries to touch me. Part of me is scared that she will break the illusion of Anri-chan in a way. I shook my head. Lately, it's hard to separate reality from this endless fantasy. What am I doing? I can't keep doing this, but I don't want to stop. If I did, that hole in my heart will start growing again.

I looked at her face as I slid inside of her. Niki-chan and Anri-chan tend blend together by this point. By then, it's the same thing that happens every time I come here. Sometimes, I will shut my eyes when the line becomes too blurred. It doesn't help that hearing Niki-chan's moaning takes me back with my moments with Anri-chan. This time, she put her arms around me and I don't resist. Let her take this fantasy further. It's like a dream that neither one of us wants to wake up from. As soon as I go back to the Living World, reality will set in and I will alone be again.

I looked into Niki-chan's eyes.

"I love you," I said. But who am I saying this to? Am I saying this to Niki-chan? Am I saying this to Anri-chan? She reaches up and caresses my cheek. By the climax, I collapse beside her, panting. I turned and looked over at Niki-chan. Whether it's her or Anri-chan, they strangely looked more beautiful spent. I slowly draw my eyes closed as Niki-chan herself drifts off to sleep.

In the early hours of the morning, I opened my eyes. Niki-chan sat at her vanity without her black wig, brushing her long blight brown hair. Just like that, Anri-chan was gone back into my memories again. My heart sank. Niki-chan glanced behind her.

"Oh, you're awake," she said. I didn't move.

"I'm sorry I took the wig off," she said.

"It's fine," I said. "I need to learn to let go of her after all." Niki-chan turned around. She walked over to the bed.

"It's okay," she said. "She was the mother of your child after all. You are allowed to still miss her." Of course, she was right. But I just wanted to feel nothing for a short moment.

"Niki-chan," I said.

"Hm?" she asked. I lifted my head.

"Would you like to take a bath with me?" I asked. Niki-chan's cheeks turned bright red.

"Uh… sure!" she said. "We can do that."

"Thank you," I said in a low voice.

* * *

A bath will extend the fantasy a little bit longer. Something about the warm, scented water calms me down. I can just let my mind wander off as far as it will go. Sharing a bath with a warm bodies makes it that much more special. I pulled Niki-chan into my arms. She looked up at me.

"Mikado-kun," Niki-chan said.

"Hm?" I asked.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Have you ever tried to sleep with Jessie?"

"I can't do that. She's like a daughter to me. She's been through too much. You remember how I met her, right?"

"Yeah."

"I do wish that she would find a good man in her future."

Niki-chan looked into my eyes. "Why are you trying so hard to get rid of her at times?"

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"You seem to lonely," she pointed out. "But yet, you will try and ditch Jessie every chance that you get. If you are so lonely, wouldn't you want to keep her by your side no matter what?" I sighed and looked over at the mirror behind us.

"She's a normal," I said. "She'll eventually get old and die, just like the others. Akira-kun and I will live forever in this Hell Hole of a world. I don't think I can bring myself to suffer another loss like that." I remembered the day Ikebukuro fell. Everyone close to me died in the plague. Anri-chan had it the worst. It wasn't enough that Tandeki and Mam made her give birth to Akira-kun, but she ended up being used as a weapon to further their stupid game. Her body couldn't take all of the stress. Anri-chan died in Rampo Biotech days before the plague reached its final stages. I didn't even get to say goodbye. I had to fight to get our son back.

"Mikado-kun," I heard Niki-chan say. I looked down to see her head rested against my chest.

"It's not your fault," she said. "He forced you into being his audience to the dying world you live in now. Anri-chan doesn't blame you for what happened. She would be proud of how Akira-kun would've turned out. Don't be so hard on yourself." I put my arm around Niki-chan.

I remembered how I first met Niki-chan. Back then, I was still adjusting to going back and forth between Purgatory and the Living World. Before, I could travel there and Limbo when my body was under stress under the Tadpole Experiments. As my powers grew stronger, I found that could go to Purgatory and Limbo whenever I wanted to. One day, I got a strange invitation from Cheri. I couldn't understand what the e-mail meant.

"I need your help with a little something tonight," the message read. "Come down to the La Blue bar after closing hours. Write this number in on the mirror to get into Purgatory. 252-861-2256-18."

I tilted my head as I looked at the screen. The whole message alone had my attention. I would be lying if I said that I didn't want to check it out.

I managed to slip away from the watchful eye of all of my friends down to the La Blue bar. This place… Run-down was understatement for this place. I'm certain this was going to be torn that down after a couple of weeks. I looked around for a little bit. Despite the traffic and the people walking around in the distance, everything was all clear. I couldn't sense any demons looking to attack me or hunting for a new vessel. I drew in a deep breath and walked into the abandoned bar.

Inside looked like a typical bar left standing. All of the furniture and decorations hadn't been taken out yet. One wall was completely covered by a giant mirror. I walked over to the mirror and breathed on the surface. I wrote the number down in the fog.

"252-861-2256-18," I said to myself. The numbers glowed on the mirror and vanished. Suddenly, I vanished into thin air.

I found myself standing in the lobby of that hotel. Miiko stood behind the front desk, smiling at me.

"Mikado-kun!" she said. "It's so good to see you again."

"Yeah… hi…" I mumbled.

"What brings you by?" Miiko asked. I sheepishly laughed.

"Well, Cheri-san sent me an e-mail saying that she needed my help with something," I said. That receptionist tried not to laugh. Her reaction alone told me what this was about.

"What?" I asked. Miiko smiled and shook her head.

"Oh, nothing," she lied. I gave her a strange look.

"What did Cheri-san tell you?" I asked. Miiko broke down giggling.

"She told me to give you this," she said. The receptionist grabbed my wrist with her left hand and touched my hand with her right. The last thing I remembered was everything going black.

I awoke moments later in more darkness. I found myself lying on my back. When I tried to get up, my wrists and ankles were tried down to wood. The cool breeze against my skin told me that I had been stripped of all clothing. Judging by the feeling silk against my back, I was lying on a bed. A sensation of wool lay on top of my eyes. I tried to breathe and stay calm as I tried to figure where this was headed. Okay, Miiko-chan used some sort of a spell to knock me out. Cheri came and took me into one of her secret room, stripped me naked, and tied and blindfolded me to the bed.

I froze when the door opened on the other side of the room. I held my breath as footsteps walked inside.

"Oh good, you're awake," Cheri's voice rang in the air. I opened my mouth to speak.

"Ant, ant, don't talk," she said. "You are just going to be here to help break in one of my new kittens." As she spoke, I noticed that Cheri wasn't alone. Judging by the panting noises, I could tell that the other person was female. I could hear her heart racing. Oh no. She's about to have a panic attack.

"Now, be a good little kitty and show our a guest a good time," Cheri said.

"Meow," the other woman said. I heard her crawling on hands and knees across the carpet.  _You don't have to do this._

The warmth of her body huddled over me. The woman's tongue ran along my throat. The first lick sent chills down my spine. More licks followed after that one.

"Good," Cheri purred. "Lick his chest." The "kitten's" tongue moved down to my chest. The licks became slower. I sucked in a mouthful of air as started moving further down. Her tongue moved from my chest to my abdomen.

"Yes," Cheri said. "More." I squirmed in my bindings as the "kitten's" mouth moved further down to my member.

"Good kitty," Cheri said. "Show him a good time." Hearing Cheri give those commands made the mood that much more jarring. I couldn't even get into the woman sucking me off. I did freeze when I felt the tip of her tongue flicking the head.

"Mmm," I said. She ran her tongue up and down the skin. I let out a loud grasp. The "kitten's" mouth pulled away, leaving me feeling cold. The tight wet warmth sliding down on me about made me jump.

"No, no," Cheri said. "You have to get down on it all the way." The warmth became tighter as the kitten screamed.

"There, there," Cheri said. "Just get through the pain. The worst pain is over." The kitten whimpered as she started to move. I could tell that she didn't seem to know what she was doing. She probably didn't seem to want to do this either. She rode me about for a ten minutes before I felt her muscles trembled at her orgasm.

"That's all, kitty," Cheri said. The other woman climbed off of me.

"Satisfied, my emperor?" she asked. I lay there trying to figure out how this all happened.

The next time I came back to Purgatory, I had to find that kitten again. I made back to Cheri's room. I found her sitting in her chair, smoking.

"Yes?" she asked. I didn't even get a chance to say it. Cheri snubbed out her cigarette.

"Let me guess, you want to know who the lovely kitten who you broke in during our last visit?" she asked.

"Yes…" I admitted.

"Fine," she said. Cheri reached over and pressed the buzzed on the nightstand.

"Niki! Someone's here to see you!" she said. Cheri turned and looked up at me.

"She'll be down in a minute," she said. I had already made up my mind on how I was going to do this. I wasn't angry at the kitten herself. I just wanted to see her with my own eyes. I wasn't even going to say a word. Just one look and then leave.

I turned my head when I heard the door open.

A woman about twenty years old walked into the room. My jaw dropped when I first saw her. This petite woman looked like she was trembling when she saw me. She had on a light purple kimono that day with long light brown out. Her eyes were lowered to the floor. When I saw her face, I thought that she could be Anri-chan's older sister.

"Well," Cheri spoke up. "Isn't there anything anyone wants to say?" The woman and I couldn't think of anything to say. Cheri nudged her in the side.

"Niki," she said. "This was the boy who deflowered you. He's only had one sexual partner before he met you. In fact, you can say that he himself is inexperienced in the bedroom. But that can be fixed over time. Niki-chan looked down, blushing.

"Oh," she said in a low voice. I stood there as it all sank in. It was wrong the way Cheri-san used me to help get one of her girls into the sex trade. In way looking back, I am glad in a way I met Niki-chan. It was rotten on how, but it managed to work out with how things turned out.

This would be the last time that Cheri-san would use me to break in her kittens and even some of her puppies.

After our bath, I get dressed in the room.

"Will I see you again?" Niki-chan asked. I turned my head. She sat on the messy, fully clothed. I should tell her no. We should just stop this right now. We can't keep doing this. Maybe I can end it here…

"Yes," I said. "But I don't know when." She looked so happy when I said that.

"Alright," Niki-chan said. "Have a good day." My heart sank hearing that.

"I'm leaving now," I said. I slowly walked out the door. I keep my eyes down as I walk down the narrow hall. It's quiet now. I guess the puppies and kitties are resting for now. I made way past Cheri sitting in her chair.

"See you again soon," she said. I nodded my head and walked up to the door.

"Mikado-kun!" she called. I froze.

"What?" I asked.

"You can still come and work for me if you like," Cheri purred. I could tell that she was smiled as I waved her off.

The lobby felt like a tomb with its silence. I didn't see anyone in sight. They probably are all still asleep. Usagi-man and the old men were all probably still in the bar. It's probably for the best.

"We'll see you again!" Miiko called as I walked by. I turned and bowed to her. I turned back to the door and waved my hand in front of it. My mind bit Purgatory one more goodbye as I disappeared through the portal.

* * *

-Jessie-

I awoke to hear the door opening.

"I'm back," I heard my master said in a low voice. I sat up to see Mikado standing in the doorway. I leapt out of bed and walked over to him.

"Welcome back," I said. I pulled him into my arms and hugged him. My master gently tried to push me off.

"Come on now," he said. "I wasn't gone that long. Get off." I froze.

"Master," I said.

"What?" he asked. I looked up at him with a serious look on my face.

"You smell like soap," I said. "And baby powder."

"Yeah," he said. "So?"

"You usually just smell like cigarettes," I said. "Where did you go last night?" Mikado patted me on the head as he gently pushed me away.

"It's better that you don't know too much," he told me. I watched as he walked over to Akira still asleep in bed. I should've expected him to say that. But it still annoyed me to no end. Why won't open up to me? I want to help him. But I can't do that if he keeps shutting me out.

Still, I stay by my master and his son because they are all I have now.


	3. Sakura

Sakura

_Fall in Love_

My master seems to know many women. They all stared at him like they haven't eaten for days. I don't think I've ever seen as day where he wasn't hit on. I even had a crush on him when we first started traveling together. But, he was quick to kill any hopes of that ever happening.

"You and I are not happening," he said. "I hope you know that. You are cute and all, but you and I will never work. So please, put it out of your head." He didn't have to say it like that. I won't lie to you, it hurt. The way he said it too harsh. Eventually, I got over it.

Still, more women are quite fond of my master. He just has this strange charm to him. I can't quite figure it out myself. He looks like an average man. Mikado chain smokes. I rarely see him smile. He doesn't interact with people. Sometimes, he will try and leave me behind. He doesn't seem interested in the girls that hit on him. Oh, there guys that hit on him too. He just that popular.

"Why do they like you so much?" I asked in Meguro two years ago.

"They made me this way," he said. I tilted my head.

"The people who turned you?" I asked.

"Yes," he said. The flash of rage in his eyes made me shiver. He looked out the window of the hotel room. That was my cue to stop asking questions again.

Still, more women fawn over my master. He stayed true to his word about us not becoming a thing. Not once has he ever made a pass at me. For the longest time, I believed that he would. Nobody wants to do anything for free.

"Not all of us are like that, you know?" Mikado reminded me three years ago. "There still good men out there." I looked up at him, sneering.

"Why do you always have to hear my thoughts?" I asked. My master shrugged on the bed.

"That's just how I am," he said. He gets close to me without trying, but I can't get close to him? I still don't get how that one works.

* * *

-Mikado-

Cheri called me for another job. It never ends. I seem to be the horse to deflower her virgin kittens. I got a call from the room.

"Hello?" I asked.

"Mikado-kun!" a raspy voice said on the other line. I frowned as I narrowed my eyes.

"What is it now, Cheri-san?" I asked. Even now, she still calls me to break in her kittens.

"I have a new kitty for you to play with," she said. I rolled my eyes.

"I'm not the mood," I said.

"Please?" Cheri-san asked. "This one is rather difficult to work with."

"Oh? Attitude problems? Hates men?"

"Not really… It's kind of hard to explain in words."

"What do you mean?"

"You'll have to come and see for yourself."

I sighed and rolled my eyes. "Fine, I'll be there in a few minutes."

"Thank you."

I sighed as I stared at the phone. Even when I say no, she still manages to talk me into this. Heh, I guess there are still pieces of the old me around somewhere. It kind of makes me sad in a way.

* * *

-Jessie-

I looked up when I heard my master sighing. Mikado frowned as he shook his head.

"What's wrong?" I asked. He hung up the phone.

"I have to go out," he said.

"What?" I asked. "Where are you going?" He rose to his feet and snubbed out his cigarette.

"Out, on a job," he said. I narrowed my eyes.

"What kind of job?" I asked.

"Just a job," he said.

"Where?"

"Somewhere you cannot go."

"When are you coming back?"

"Morning."

"How long will it take?"

My master gave me a cold look and I drew my mouth closed with big eyes. Mikado sighed and rubbed his forehead.

"I will be back," he said. My master turned and walked out of the hotel room. I sat on the bed. There he goes again. It's just going to be Akira and me again.

I lay back on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

* * *

-Mikado-

I am back here again. This is turning into more of an addiction than I care to admit. Still, I go to Purgatory. Sometimes, Cheri summons me. Sometimes, I go on my own.

I made it up to the front desk. Miiko smiled when she saw me.

"Good evening, Mikado-san!" she said. "So good to see you again." I've known Miiko back from my days in Chou Mori. She, like the other women in Purgatory, are rather fond of me. Before my augmentations, Miiko just saw me as another living human who lingered between life and death during those experiments performed on me in Chou Mori. She didn't hate me or adore me. In fact, she and Uzuki were pretty helpful. Now, Miiko seems to light up when she sees me.

"What brings you by tonight?" she asked.

"Cheri has another job for me," I said. The words felt so bitter coming out of my mouth. Miiko had a dreamy look in her eyes. She's not as aggressive as some of the other women that I've encountered in Purgatory and the Living World. But…

"You doing anything after this little job Cheri has you doing?" she asked.

"No…" I said with my eyes narrowed. Miiko broke into a huge grin.

"I'm free this evening," she said.

"Right…" I said. She stood on my tiptoes and leaned in close to my ear.

"I'm not wearing any underwear today," she whispered. My old self would've turned bright red. Now, I don't even blink.

"Heh," I said. Miiko pulled back and winked. I happened to look towards the hall and see a little girl poking her head out in the doorway. I smiled when I saw the little pink flowers in her wreath.

"Hello, Momoki-chan," I said. Little Momoki-chan blushed and hid away. She another resident in Purgatory. I do visit her from time to time. She's a sweet little girl once you get to know her. Momoki-chan turned and ran away. I wonder why she doesn't come out and greet me. It's not like this is the first time we've met. I've had several tea parties in her room. Crushes with little girls work in a strange way.

"Why don't you just go to her?" Miiko spoke up.

"Hm?" I asked.

"Just go to her room and pay her a little visit," she said. "She really wants to see you again."

"I will keep that in mind," I said.

"I really mean it. Just go and see Momoki-chan sometime."

"I will, I will." I rubbed the back of my head. "I'll see her when I'm done on this job." Miiko narrowed her eyes as she picked up the phone.

"I will hold you to it," she said before turning her attention to the phone. I forced myself to as I chuckled in discomfort. She still tries to ride my ass on how I interact with these girls here.  _Come on now_ , I thought.  _Go easy on me. I do want to see you guys, it's just…_

Miiko put her hand on mine. I looked up to see her eyes locked on me.

"I understand," she said in a low voice. "This whole thing isn't your fault."

"Oh," I murmured. Miiko perked up again.

"Cheri-san will see you now!" she said.

"Thank you," I said. I bowed and walked down the hall. I passed Momoki-chan on the way. She tried to stay hidden out of sight. I stopped and patted her on the head.

"I will come by and see you later, I promise," I said. A smile spread across her little round face. Seeing her smile reminds me that I am not completely dead inside. Maybe I could get her and Akira-kun to play together some day. I drew back my hand and headed further down the hall.

* * *

As expected, Cheri sat in her chair, waiting for me. She flicked out her cigarette.

"You're late," she said.

"Not really," I said. "I'm here, aren't I? What seems to be the problem?" Cheri sighed and rubbed her forehead.

"It's this new girl, I have," she said. "She keeps freezing everything in the room and the men as they try to sleep with her."

"Freezing as in…?"

"Turning everything into ice. It's a pain to defrost everything and clean it up afterwards. She's costing me so much money. I had to call her Korihime because of her little problem."

"Why did you take her in?"

"You know how I am. I had to take her in. She arrived here days ago after dying in Aoyama. She looked attractive enough for me to groom into one of my kittens."

I tilted my head. "So, what are you asking me to do?"

"Isn't obvious?" Cheri asked. "I want you to seduce her and see why she keep freezing people."

"But won't she freeze me too?" I asked.

"Not if you don't try to sleep with her," she said with a wink. "You'll find her in the Blue Kitten room." I rolled my eyes and took off my shoes. Cheri smirked as she snubbed out her cigarette.

"Good luck, Virgin Whisperer," she said as I walked by. She smacked me on the ass and giggled. I gritted my teeth. Heh, Virgin Whisperer. I am really starting to hate that nickname.

* * *

Waiting in the hall to see me were Niki and some of the other kittens. They all crowded around to see me.

"Good evening!" a buxom blonde said as she twirled her curls between dainty fingers. I could see through her pink babydoll gown.

"Hello, Momo," I said.

"Good evening!" a slender woman with long dark purple and black hair said. Her long white dress made her skin look paler.

"Hello, Fuyuko," I said.

"Good evening, Mikado-kun," a beauty long light brown hair dressed in a flowery kimono. The little flowers held back her hair in a ponytail.

"Hello, Choco," I said.

"Good evening, Mikado!" a woman with long blonde hair and green eyes said. The green and white cocktail dress hugged the curves of her body like a needy little child.

"Hello, Rin," I said.

"Good evening, cutie," a woman with long blonde pigtails dressed in a pink and gold cheongsam. She twirled about when she saw me.

"Hello, Emi," I said.

"Good evening!" a slender woman with long brown hair said. Her heavy chest looked ready to pop out of her pink gown.

"Hello, Maron," I said.

"Good evening," a woman with her long brown hair pinned up like a geisha's. I could see through her seductive red "rope" dress.

"Hello, Masumi," I said.

"Good evening, darling," Niki said, blushing.

"Hello, Niki-chan," I said. The kittens all crowded around me as I walked up to the Blue Kitten Room. I could hear the whispers behind me. When I turned around, they all looked at me with their thumbs-up.

"Good luck," Rin whispered.

"Good luck," the girls repeated. I nervously chuckled.

"Thank you for that," I said. I opened the door and walked inside.

* * *

"Hello, I'm coming in," I whispered. I slowly walked into the room. She lay on the bed glaring at me. I had to admit, she was pretty cute. Her skin looked so pale compared to her long black hair. The top of her blue dress was unbuttoned to reveal her black and gold satin bra. Her silver pendant necklace drew more attention to her breasts. Her dark, frozen eyes matched up to her pet name. She would've looked cuter if she smiled. She sneered and clicked her tongue at me.

"Oh, another one," she said. "Did Mama send you to tame me or something?" I closed the door behind me.

"Yes," I admitted.

"Figures," she grumbled. She could already see where this was headed. She expected me to make her undress and spread her legs. I smiled and shook my head.

"I'm not going to have sex with you tonight," I said. Korihime looked up at me with a strange look on her face.

"What?" she asked. I slowly approached the bed. I sat down in front of her.

"I'm not going to sleep with you tonight," I repeated.

"You're not?" she asked. I shook my head.

"So… what do you plan to do with me?" Korihime asked.

"Well, first," I said. "I am going to give you a little kiss." I leaned in and kissed her on the lips. I lingered there for ten seconds before pulling away. Korihime had such a confused look on her face. I don't think she knew what to think.

"Now what?" she asked. I leaned back on the bed.

"Tell me about yourself," I said.

"Why?"

"You've gained quite the reputation here. Why do you keep freezing your clients and everything around you?"

Korihime snorted. "What are you, my therapist now?"

"You've got me curious," I said.

"Whatever," she muttered. I lowered my eyes.

"I lost someone dear to me," I said. "She was going to be my wife. Did you have someone close to you when you were human?"

"No," she hissed.

"Well, that can't be right. We all have someone that we were close to at one point." I studied her face as I tried to get her to open up. Her lower lips trembled like she wanted to come out and say something. She may act all tough and cold, but she seems like a scared and vulnerable woman at her core.

"Do you want me to guess who it was?" I asked. "Was it a man or a woman?" Korihime gave me a cold side eye when I saw "man".

"Man or woman?" I asked again.

"Man," she muttered.

"I was really close to the woman I was in love with. She was the mother of my son, in fact." I tried to shake Anri-chan out of my head. I needed to be focused on this job.

"You really miss her, do you?" I heard someone ask. I lifted my head. Korihime had a curious look on her face.

"Yes," I said, sighing. Korihime crawled over to me on the bed.

"What was she like?" she asked.

"Really nice. Shy. Smart, timid but determined. Kind and has a strong moral code she holds herself and others to. Really pretty. Wants to be to others what she lacked." My eyes started to well up with tears.

"Excuse me," I said. I wiped away my tears. Korihime's icy demeanor seemed to have softened.

"I had someone too," she said. "He was older than me. I didn't care about the gap between our ages. He didn't treat me like a sex object. He treated me like a person."

"Was he married?" I asked.

"He was trying to get divorced. He had already signed her name on the paper, but she wouldn't sign."

"Did you know that he was married?"

"Yes. He told me everything. He wasn't in love with his wife anymore."

"So why did you stay?"

Korihime shrugged and shook her head. "I don't know. I guess because I felt something for him, I guess." I looked and saw tears welling up in her eyes. The room began to feel slightly colder.

"Are you alright?" I asked. She didn't respond. The room started getting colder. As if on instinct, I rushed forward and kissed her on the lips again. This time, I lingered there for fifteen seconds before pulling away. The room's temperature returned to normal. Korihime gave me a blank stare.

"What did you do that for?" she asked. I put up my hands in a shrug.

"I just don't like seeing girls crying," I said. "Heh, oh dear."

"What?" she asked. I looked her in the eye.

"I kissed you twice," I said in a low voice. "If I have to kiss you again, I will have to see you again." Korihime blinked at me.

"I don't get it," she said.

"Get what?" I asked. The new little kitten tilted her head.

"Who the hell are you?" she asked. I leaned back on the bed and shrugged.

"I'm just a lonely little virgin whisperer," I said. Oh my, that just sounded so lame even coming out of my mouth. Korihime giggled.

"What?" I asked. She pressed her lips together as she tucked some of her hair behind her ear.

"That was so lame," she said.

"Yeah," I said. "Cheri gave me that dumb nickname and you can guess why."

"You do this for all of the girls here?"

"Yeah." I glanced up and noticed the intrigue in her eyes. I've seen this look before. She's about to ask me many questions like Jessie does. I brace myself to shut her down when she was about to get close.

"Go on," I said. "Spit it out."

"Wha?" Korihime asked. I looked up at her.

"Get out all of the questions you want to ask about me," I said. "You look like my companion does when she wants to ask questions about my life."

"Your companion?" she asked. I waved her off.

"I'm not sleeping with her," I said. "She's like a daughter to me."

"What's she like?"

I rubbed the back of my head. "Damaged, like me. She stays by my son and I because she has nothing else. I rescued her from being raped six years ago."

"Heh."

"What is it now?"

"Are you always recusing damaged women?"

"Not on purpose."

"So, am I your latest pet project?"

"It's not like that."

"And this girl you loved. Did you try to save her too?"

I lowered my head. "I couldn't." I began to have memories Anri-chan before she died. She looked so pale and wasted away. She could barely speak above a whisper. The tubes in her arms made my stomach turn. She didn't even get to hold Akira-kun one last time.

"Mikado… -kun…" she said hours before she died. I couldn't be there when she died. I didn't even get to say goodbye. I had proposed to her before our son was born. Anri-chan didn't give me an answer until they finally allowed me to see her.

"Yes," she murmured.

"What?" I asked. Her face looked so sullen and her eyes so dead.

"I will marry you," she said. It tore me up inside to hear her say that. I took her by her frail, boney hands.

"Yeah," I said, nodding with tears in my eyes. "We'll have a lavish wedding. We'll invite my parents and all of our friends. You'll look so beautiful in a wedding kimono…" The more I spoke, the more it stung in my chest. Every word that came out of my mouth sounded so hollow. I already saw what her future was. In three weeks' time, Anri-chan wouldn't make it. It hurt more when I saw the tears forming in her eyes too.

"Come on, don't do that," I said. "I can't have you crying too. Please stop." We couldn't stop crying that day. I would be the last time that I would ever see her alive. She didn't deserve to be used to death.

"Oi!" I heard back in reality. "You okay? Oi! Oi!" I looked up to see Korihime staring at me with a worried look on her face.

"Are you okay?" she asked. I don't know why did what I did next. I rushed forward and kissed her on the lips again. She didn't even push me off. I don't know how long I kissed her that time. When I pulled away, I was panting. Korihime stared at me just as confused.

"What was that for?" she asked. I slowly shook my head.

"I don't know," I said. I quickly recovered as the gravity of the situation hit me. I sat back, smiling.

"I kissed you three times in one night," I said. "It looks like I have to see you again." I slid off of the bed.

"Wait, you're leaving?" Korihime asked.

"Yes," I said. "I think we are done for tonight. I have to get back to my son and my companion." I walked over to the closed door. As I touched the door knob, I glanced over my shoulder.

"I will see you again like I promised," I said. "Good night." I turned and bowed before I left the room.

* * *

I found the other kittens standing around in the hallway with heated blankets in their hands.

"Oh, you didn't freeze?" Rin asked.

"No," I said, shaking my head.

"How did it go?" Niki-chan asked.

"It's a start," I said. "I'm going back now because I'm tired." I walked past the kittens as they started asking more questions.

* * *

Cheri looked up when I walked back into the made part of her room.

"Well?" she asked. I lit up a cigarette and took a smoke.

"She'll need work," I said. Cheri leaned forward.

"So, can it be done?" she asked.

"Yes," I said. "But, I am going back now. I'm tired for tonight." I walked past Cheri, not making eye contact with her.

"Wait, so did you…?" she began to ask.

"No," I said at the door. "We just talked. I did kiss her three times, though. I will have to see her again because of it."

"What?" Cheri-san asked. I waved her off and walked out of the room. As promised, I stopped by Momoki's room. I didn't stay long, but I did read her to sleep with one of her favorite books. Heh, maybe I should just spend an evening in Purgatory just to visit her. There I go again, getting all soft. Well, what do you know? There are still pieces of my former self still lying around. He's not still not dead after all.

* * *

-Jessie-

I looked up when I heard the door open. My master leaned against the doorframe.

"Oh, you're back," I said.

"Yeah," he said.

"Did you finish work?"

"Yes."

"How was it?"

He sighed and dropped his shoulders. "Okay. I'm not done. I will be back later. This job will probably take many sessions. Right now, I'm just tired." Mikado walked over to the bed and laid down beside Akira-kun who was sound asleep. I sat there, blinking.

"Okay then…" I muttered. I leaned back in my chair. Where will we be going next? I have learned not to ask questions and just follow wherever the boys go.


	4. Fuji

Fuji

_Rainy Mood_

My master has an odd relationship with his son. Akira-kun doesn't act like a normal child at times. He has two modes for the most part. The first one is happy little child. Akira-kun just looks so happy and acts like a normal little kid. He gets antsy when we end up staying in a hotel room for hours a day. He is at his happiest when he's outside or coloring pictures. Sometimes, I will sit in the hotel room and color with him. He asks me questions like little kids would.

"Nee-san do you have a boyfriend?" he asks me one day.

"I did," I said. "But he's gone now."

"Is he in Heaven with mommy?" Akira-kun asked.

"I hope so," I muttered. I leaned back and looked up at the ceiling. The little boy rested his head in my lap.

"Please don't cry, Nee-san," he said. Tears welled up in my eyes.

"I'm not going to, I promise I won't," I said.

"It's going to be okay," he whispered. "You have Papa and me." Akira-kun's a strange kid on a way. He sometimes acts so polite and calm at times when I am about to cry.

That leads to his other mode.

It's hard to put this in words. He just goes into strange type of trance. He starts to talk in monotone. The way he looks at you it's as if he is looking through you. One night, I saw him standing in the hotel bathroom, holding a small knife. He just stared off into space, just holding it. I didn't know whether to let him be or to go in there and stop him. There is another strange thing about him. I end up speaking my deepest thoughts after he touches me. This usually lasts about an hour or so. Mikado always looks so worried when I open my mouth after his son touches my hand.

It's raining today in Osaka today. I stared out the window. It looks like it's going to be an all-day pour too. Akira-kun sat on the floor, coloring a new picture. My master went off to get us some food. I watched the little boy color with a green crayon. Now that I think about it, Mikado acts so hands off with the kid. Akira-kun just runs around and does what he wants to do. Oh sure, my master will call him out when he's doing something wrong. Don't get me wrong. It's obvious that Mikado does love his son. It's just…

"Your Papa's not the warm and cuddly type, is he?" I asked.

"Uh-uh," Akira-kun said, not looking up.

"Why is that, I wonder?"

"Papa's been hurt."

"Hm? And what do you mean by that?" I heard him mumble something under his breath. "I'm sorry." Akira-kun's eyes looked so empty.

"There are just some things you don't ask," he said in that monotone voice he does. His eyes were narrowed at me.

"Oh…" I mumbled. The kid didn't even blink. I could've sworn that his eyes turned red for a second.

"I'm back," I heard my master say. Akira-kun returned to normal when we heard footsteps walk into the room. Mikado walked into with two bags of food.

"Welcome back," I said.

"I've brought you both some burgers," he said. Mikado walked over to Akira-kun. The little boy looked up.

"Papa!" he said. My master walked over and patted him on the head. Just like that, the little boy turned back into his happy, upbeat self.

There are so many times that I do not understand about father and son. For starters, their relationship itself. I wouldn't say that my master is aloof, but he's rather hands-off with raising Akira-kun. Sometimes when we go off, Mikado will leave him with some guardian familiar that I cannot see at times. It rather shocked me the first time I got involved.

-Six Years Ago-

Mikado took me back to the hotel that her was staying in back in Kabukicho. This was after I gathered up my things. I gave him a confused look.

"Why are we here?" I asked.

"We're picking up my son," my master said.

"Your son?" I asked.

"That is what I said," he replied. We made it up to Room 369. Mikado knocked on the door.

"Akira-kun!" he said. "Daddy's back!" Mikado pulled out the keycard and slid it into the lock slot. A fancy hotel room awaited us when we stepped inside. Everything looked well-lit with views of the city with the giant windows. A TV was on in the background playing some old anime I was not familiar with. On the big bed sat a little boy with spiky black hair just like his dad's. He had on little blue pajamas and no shoes on his feet. Beside him sat a woman who looked like a samurai with her blades at her side. She had her long brown hair up in a ponytail with her bangs covering her left eye. Mikado took a step forward.

"Akira-kun, this is my new friend, Jessie," he said. "Say hello."

"Hello," the little boy said. Mikado turned to the woman who didn't speak.

"Thank you for watching over him again, Hikira," he said. "You may return now." The woman bowed her head and vanished into thin air. I covered my mouth as I gasped.

"What is all of this?" I asked. Mikado turned his head.

"That was my guardian, Hikira," he said. "She watches over my son when I go out into the city."

"But where did she go?" I asked.

"Back into my soul."

"But how?"

He turned to me with a sharp look in his eye. "There are some things better left unanswered." That would be the reoccurring response he would give me every time I got close to knowing more about him.

-Present Day-

Akira-kun munched on his fries on the hotel bed. I feel bad when I eat in front of my master. Mikado gave me a little smile.

"You don't have to feel guilty for eating in front of me," he said. I rolled my eyes while chewing.

"Why do you always do that?" I asked.

"Habit," he said. I rolled my eyes as I kept eating.

"Right…" I muttered. My master looked out the window.

"We can't stay here," he said. I looked up, blinking.

"Hm?" I asked. My master turned his head.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"We are leaving Japan by morning," Mikado said. "There is a boat that is heading for Thailand. I will persuade the captain to let us on." Akira-kun and I stared at him.

"What?" I asked.

"Hear me out," my master said. "There is nothing for us here in this country anymore. Most of the people are either dead or have fled. We should be doing the same. I do not wish to see you succumb to the plague."

"What about you?" I asked.

"Akira-kun and I are not effected by the plague," he said. "This is more for your safety." There is something he's not telling me.

"Please do not ask me anymore questions," my master said. "You have to trust me on this." There he goes again. Hiding him for the truth isn't going to work. But, I will try to get something out of him before we leave. Right now, I stuffed more of my burger into my mouth.

"At least tell me why Thailand," I said.

"I will tell you in the morning," he replied.

"Uh-huh," I said, flatly. Akira-kun kept eating quietly the whole time.

Now that I think about it, we don't really leave when it rains. We just stay indoors until it stops. The only time my master goes out is to get food.

"Hey, Mikado-san," I said.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"Why is it that we never go outside when it's raining?"

"Is there anywhere you want to go?"

"Not really. There isn't much to do around here anymore."

"Exactly."

I looked over at Akira again. He started on his burger now. The child seems to be holding up well in this mad world that we were all forced into. His smile seemed to keep everything from being too depressing. There are still many mysterious about him. He doesn't remember his mom and doesn't mind his dad leaving in the late hours of the night. Akira-kun is always talking to Hikira when my master and I are not with him. (I'm trying to break him of that. He just looks like he's talking to himself in public. I know no one really cares because of the situation we are in, but still…)

"You know," I spoke up. "It wouldn't kill you to eat something for a change. "Just have a sandwich at least. Please? It will make me happy."

"Heh," was all that he said. I don't know what he means when he says that. I assume it's just to humor me when I start asking questions about his health.

"I told you, I am fine," my master insisted. "You just need to worry about yourself." I would like for just once to share a meal with him without him watching me eat. Maybe do something a little bit fancy. I don't know if he has the money, though.

"Money is no object," my master said. I looked up at him. Mikado had a stern look on his face.

"If you want a lavish dinner for the two of us, we'll do that," he said. "Just let's get out of Japan first, okay?" I gave him a blank stare.

"And yes, I do mean it," Mikado added.

"Uh… O… kay…" I said. "Sure. I will hold you to that, you know?"

"Fine," he said.

"Wow," I mouthed. After Akira-kun finished his food, he yawned and stretched his little arms. He lay down on the bed and went to sleep.

"Akira-kun, don't go to sleep, you'll turn into a cow," I said.

"Leave him be," Mikado said. "He's fine." He turned his attention back to me. I pressed my lips together.

"Yes, I do care about my son," my master spoke up.

"Then why do you…?" I began to ask. He looked out the window at the heavy rain outside.

"He does not need me to smother him," he said. "If anything, I need him more than he needs me. He's all that I have left of his mother." My master sighed and rubbed his head.

"I'm a hot mess, aren't I?" he asked.

"I don't think so," I said. Mikado lifted his head. I leaned forward.

"You still have me," I said. "And that's the first time you really opened up to me." Mikado blinked at me.

"I did?" he asked.

"Yeah," I said. Mikado stood up and walked over to the bathroom.

"Mikado… -san?" I asked.

"I'm going to take a shower," he said.

"Already?" I asked. The bathroom door slammed shut.

* * *

By nightfall, we were in our beds. I looked over at my master asleep in his bed and then at his son sleeping next to me. I do not get this weird family. The kid goes between sunny and creepy on a whim. My master won't let me know anything about him. Staying with them gives me headaches, but I feel like they are part of my family now. Now that I know that my master is in so much pain, I have to stay by his side. The same goes for Akira-kun. I will try to figure them both out even if it kills me. I took one more look at Akira-kun asleep next to me. I brushed his hair from his forehead.

_I won't leave you_ , I thought. I closed my eyes and let myself drift off to sleep.

* * *

By the next morning, the rain had stopped. We packed up everything and checked out.

"Right to go?" my master asked.

"Yes," I said, nodding. Mikado patted Akira-kun on the head.

"You ready to go?" he asked.

"Yes!" he said aloud.

"So where exactly are we going?" I asked.

"Port of Osaka," Mikado answered. "If we leave now, we will be able to catch the first boat to Thailand."

"Understood," I said, nodding. The three of us walked out of the hotel. Thailand, huh? Maybe it is time to get out of Japan. But still… I turned to my master.

"Hey, Mikado," I spoke up.

"I am looking for somebody," he said. I tilted my head with a confused look on my face.

"Who?" I asked. My master turned to me with a stern look on his face.

"My sister," he said.

"Your sister?" I asked with narrowed eyes.

"She's not really my sister," Mikado explained. "She's a tadpole like me. She and her daughter have already left Japan and from the last I heard, she was in Thailand."

"Is that why we're leaving Japan now? Aside from this country being practically dead now?"

"Yes," Mikado said. He noticed the stunned look on my face. "What?"

"That's the first time you gave me a straight answer," I said.

"Okay…" he said, flatly. I cleared my throat but couldn't help but to smile.

"So, what are your sister and niece's names?" I asked. My master patted me on the head.

"Inaba Itori," he said. "Her daughter is named Sakura." Mikado drew back his hand and walked over to the boat. Akira-kun ran after his son as I tilted my head. Did he just… we're starting to finally get closer. I left like dancing around in heaven.

"Are you coming along?" Mikado asked, looking over his shoulder. I jumped in place as I came back to reality.

"Oh, yes!" I said. I ran to check up with my master and his son. I smiled as the three of us walked on the boat.

Goodbye, Japan. It breaks my heart to leave you like this. But at least you can rest in peace now. Still, I have one more question.

"Mikado-san?" I asked on the boat.

"What?" my master asked.

"What will we do if Thailand ends up like Japan?" I asked. He watched the sea as the boat started to pull away.

"We will just keep going," my master said. We would arrive in Thailand within the next few days.


	5. Ayame

Ayame

_Downtown_

I've never been outside of Japan before. It felt weird to be in Thailand. The boat trip there only reminded me of how bad things had gotten in Japan. It started when my master, Akira-kun, and I made it to the harbor. Mikado made his way to the captain.

"Let me do all of the talking," he said. I kept Akira by my side as my master spoke to the captain. After a short conversation, he returned to us.

"We are all good to go," he said.

"Yay!" Akira-kun said. I patted him on the head.

"Let's go," my master said. We boarded the ship with the other refugees. They all looked tired. I could understand their pain. They've lost someone dear to them to the plague. Their homes reek of death. All means of transportation have been cut off. No trains, no cars, and no airplanes. What was left of the government order those who were left to leave as soon as possible. I shivered as I remembered learning the fate of mom and her boyfriend.

-Last Year-

I think we were in Sapporo at the time. I pleaded with my master to try and take me to Okinawa.

"I have to my mom again," I said. "Please! I have to know if she's okay." Mikado would try not to look at me or change the subject altogether.

"Look," he told me one day. "You don't want to see what happened to Okinawa and your mother. It's not good." I pressed my lips together as I stared at him with big eyes.

"But I have to see it for myself!" I said. "I haven't been able to call her in months. It tears me up inside not knowing. Even if she is dead, I will feel better knowing the truth. Please, I have to see. Take me there. I don't care how. Just get me there." My master sighed as he flicked out his cigarette in the ashtray by the window sill.

"Do you really want to see it?" he asked. I slowly nodded my head. He sighed and rubbed his forehead.

"Fine," he said. "We'll go in the morning." I quickly bowed my head.

"Thank you!" I said.

"Please," he said. I sat up and cleared my throat. Mikado took another smoke.

We took the bus down to Kyushu. We got to see more of Japan dying along the way. There were virtually no people on the streets. The bus was almost empty too. Aside from us, there were only three people onboard. I think it was a mom and two small children by her side.

"Wow," I whispered. "It's so quiet on here."

"Yes," my master said. I looked out the window at the dead or dying landscape. There aren't any animals in sight anymore. The buildings looked abandoned with their lights turned off. This happened in the course of six years? I shivered as I kept my eyes down.

It took about a week to get down to Kyushu. We took a boat to Okinawa. I didn't think that that trip would be so silent. At the time, I wasn't thinking about that. What if Mikado was right and the plague had spread down that far? That couldn't be right. This plague couldn't be airborne, could it?

"This is not a normal plague," my master said. I looked up at him with big eyes. Mikado had stern look on his face as he turned to me.

"It changes and evolves to claim its victims," he said. "They designed it that way to wipe entire populations except those like me."

"What are you talking about?" I asked. "Who made this plague?" My master lowered his gaze.

"The Tandeki Group," he said.

"What?" I asked.

"They took everything me. My friends, my home, my parents, my gang, they even took the woman I love." My master shuddered as he looked out at the water.

"I'm sorry to hear that," I said.

"I had to fight to get my son back," Mikado added. Akira-kun rested his head on his dad's lap. We didn't speak for the rest of the boat trip.

When we got to Okinawa, it looked deserted. Not many birds sang in the sky. Already, I had a bad feeling about this. My master put her hand on my arm.

"We can turn back if you want," he said in my ear. I shook my head.

"I can take this," I said. "I have to know the truth." I took in a deep breath and walked forward. My master and his son followed behind. I felt like I was walking through a horror movie. We couldn't see a single soul in sight. I tried my best not to say a word. Something inside of me wouldn't let me think the worst. Maybe mom and her neighbors were fine and holed up in their houses. There's no way they could be dead from the plague.

I kept looking at my master as we walked. The look in his eyes showed me what he really wanted to say. I could guess what he really wants to say. I shoved my hands into my pockets and kept my eyes forward. If only I could just make the call to the house. I turned my head.

"Can we stop by and make a call?" I asked.

"Sure," Mikado said.

"Thank you," I said. We found an old payphone along the road. I dug into my pockets and pulled out my phone card. The ringing on the other end of the line made my stomach turn. To my fear, nobody picked up.

"She's not picking up?" my master asked. I forced myself to smile as I turned around.

"It's fine," I lied. "She's probably in the other in the house or outside." I couldn't even believe the words that were coming out of my mouth. I turned my back and tried again. After about two more tries I hung up the phone.

"Tell me," I said at last. "You don't think that she could've…"

"Do you really want me to tell you or do you want to see for yourself?" he asked. "Think hard about that." I pressed my lips together.

"Just take me home," I said.

"Okay," my master said. The walk to my neighborhood felt like walking up to an execution. The more we walked, the more doubt sank in. I didn't know how I would take finding out my mother was dead. We had been keeping in touch until earlier that year. I don't why we stopped talking. I didn't think much about it at the time.

It should've been a relief to make it back to my neighborhood. But instead, I felt like crying.

"You can let it out if you have to," my master said with his eyes. I smiled and nodded.

"Thank you," I said back with my eyes. The silence around my neighborhood didn't help. I couldn't see any cats or dogs running around. In fact, the trees looked like they had more life to them compared to the houses. I shoved my hands into my pockets. I silently prayed that there would be someone in sight.

"Jessie?" I heard in the distance. My heart jumped in my chest. Wait, is that…? I lifted my head to see an old woman wearing brightly colored sweats running towards me. My jaw dropped.

"Mori-san?" I asked. "Mori-san, is that you?" The old woman jogged over to us. She stopped to catch her breath. I backed up as she looked me in the eye.

"Jessie? Is that really you?" she asked. "Oh my lord! It is you! We thought you died in the city!" I looked around at the empty neighborhood.

"What happened here?" I asked. "Where is everybody?" The glow dulled from my former neighbor's eyes.

"Most of them are gone," she said.

"What?" I asked. Mori-san lowered her eyes.

"That plague took over the mainland and some of the people came down to Okinawa," she said. "They brought raids and chaos with them. Your mother and Jun ended up trapped here. Jun couldn't go home to his parents in Yokohama."

"Are they still…?" I started to ask. The old woman sadly shook her head.

"No…" I murmured.

"I'm so sorry, dear," she said. I fought to keep from crying, but my eyes welled up with tears.

"What happened?" I asked. Mori-san looked down at my hands.

"Your mother and Jun had plenty of supplies in their house," she said. "They stayed locked in with the news and your voice on the phone. But back in spring, a group of thugs broke into the house in the middle of the night." Tears welled up in her tired eyes.

"They killed your mother and Jun and robbed them," she said at last. She started crying before I did. The whole time, my master didn't say anything. I don't even think Mori-san even looked up and saw him once. Part of me thought that Mikado and Akira-kun turned invisible when they saw Mori-san walking over to me. At the time, we were too wrapped up in the grief to take notice.

I don't know what happened to Mori-san after that. I would love to believe that she got off of Okinawa when the plague and loneliness became too much to bare. But more than likely, she's probably dead just like the others.

I spent the rest of the day crying. My master left me to get it out of my system. Akira-kun rested his head on my lap. If it wasn't for them, I would truly be alone.

-Present Day-

I looked around at everyone on the boat. They are just like us, displaced and robbed of life as they knew it. The people looked so cold and tired. I don't think they've eaten in days. My guess is that they just wanted to get out of Japan just like we did. They have no idea where they are going. They know they just can't stay there. As I looked around, something else caught my attention. The children here only speak broken Japanese. They looked more feral if I had to be honest. They only seemed to know how to say "cold" and "hungry". When I offered one of them food, they looked at me like I had two heads.

"It's okay," I said. "I'm not going to hurt you. Here. Just take it." The little girl I was talking to just stared at me. I had to place the candy in her hand before returning to my spot on the boat. Akira-kun looks prim and proper compared to them.

"They've been left to fend for themselves," my master said. "The adults are too busy being worried about themselves. They've stopped caring about the children." I looked at the little children on the boat.

"Then who brought them on here?" I asked.

"It wouldn't be right to leave them behind either, would it?" he asked.

"I guess not," I said. I look back at the children who didn't seem to know where they were or how to deal with their current situation. At least, they will get a chance to live. But where will they go?

"That is not our place to worry," my master said.

"But…" I said.

"What can you do for them?" he asked. "Will you be able to do anything for them?" I opened my mouth, but then closed it again.

"Exactly," Mikado said. "I don't mean to come off as sounding cold, but that's how it is now." I drew my knees to my chest. I hated when he had a point sometimes.

* * *

It felt good to be on dry land again.

Just looking at Thailand sent me for a shock. There was actually… people here. I blinked several times. People were acting normal here. They had cell phones. The streets looked so packed. I backed up, covering my mouth.

"Is this a dream?" I asked.

"No," Mikado said. I turned when I noticed how his tone sounded.

"You don't think this will last long, do you?" I asked. He didn't answer me.

"Hey," I said. "Don't be like that. You know what we need? Let's go get something to eat. Are you hungry?"

"Not really," he said. I frowned as he turned to me.

"Oh," I said.

"But, I don't see why not," my master said. I breathed out as I rested my hand to my chest.

"Thanks," I said. But then, I paused.

"Don't about money," he said. "I will have it covered." Akira-kun tried to take my hand, but I pulled it away. Please don't, little dude. I don't feel like speaking my thoughts aloud again. Instead, he walks over to his dad. Mikado patted him on the head.

I had a little trouble adjusting to life around downtown. Japan had been so quiet and empty for so long. Even some of the stores were cleaned out. There was no one to stop the people from raiding them. I knew because I did it once or twice for my camera. Hm, maybe I should film around Thailand later. Thinking about it now, I couldn't help but feel that my master could be right. How long before the plague takes over here too? I shuddered at the possibility.

"They should be fine by now," my master said. I turned, frowning.

"Why do you have to do that?" I asked.

"I didn't hear your thoughts this time," Mikado said. "I just noticed the look on your face."

"Oh," I said.

"What do you want to eat?" he asked. I shrugged and shook my head.

"Do you like spicy food?" my master asked.

"Kind of," I said.

"What exactly do you want?"

"I don't know. Some noodles, maybe."

"Okay, we will get noodles then." Mikado put up his hand when I started to speak. "I took you not to worry about money. I 've got it covered. Don't ask me how."

I just closed my mouth.

* * *

We found a small noodle booth near the "spice area" in the middle of downtown. My master ordered the food. His Thai almost made me think that he was a native. I could barely keep up with him and the vendor. Part of me hoped that the food would at least be edible. I felt a little hand on my shirt. I looked down to see Akira-kun looking up at me. I patted him on the head.

"There, there," I whispered. "Lunch is coming." The little boy perked up. Mikado returned to us with the food.

"What did you get us?" I asked.

"Pad Thai," my master said.

"Is it good?" I asked. He gave me a look asking if I was being serious. I rubbed my forehead.

"Of course it will be," I said. "You ordered it after all. Forget I asked." The pad Thai actually tasted pretty good. I felt my master's eyes on me as I was chewing.

"This is good," I said. I could've sworn I saw him smile for a second. Akira-kun sat beside him eating up his lunch.

"So, what are we going to do here?" I asked. Mikado put his hands behind his head.

"Stay around for a few days," he said. "Look around for a bit. And then leave."

"And go where?" I asked.

"Anywhere, really," my master said. This time, he only had tea.

"Is that any good?" I asked.

"It's okay," he said. "It's not Japanese tea." My master took another sip. "I will check us into a hotel for the night. After that, see where staying here will get us." I looked down at my food.

"You're not eating again," I said quietly. He looked down at his tea.

"Oh," my master said.

"I'm worried about you," I said. "I don't want you to waste away." My master glanced away.

"I will be fine," he said. I gave him my usual look.

"Come on now," I said. "You always say that." He looked in my eyes.

"You don't have to," my master said.

"Yes, I do," I said. "You and Akira-kun are all I have."

"It shouldn't be that way," I heard him mumble. I gave him a curious look.

"What did you say?" I asked. He didn't say anything as he takes another drink of his tea. I made myself finish my lunch. How would these kids fare here in Thailand? Did Mori-san finally leave Okinawa? How long before the plague comes for us here? Would we have to keep going like this for the rest of our lives?

I glanced over at our master. I had a guess about what he was going to say.

"Go on," I said. "Spit it out. I know you want to say it." My master glanced up at me.

"Do you really want me to say it?" he asked. I lowered my eyes.

"Do I have a choice?" I asked. My master shrugged.

"Why do you want me to say it?" he asked. "You already know what I am going to say. So, what would be the point? Or maybe, you don't really want to hear it yourself." I frowned as I finished up my noodles.

"Can we just drop it?" I asked. I put down my chopsticks.

"Up to you," my master said. Akira-kun finished his lunch.

"Yummy!" he shouted. I lowered my head to hide my smile. This little dude has become the glue that is keeping us together. Without him, I think my master would drive me nuts sometimes. I patted Akira-kun on the head.

"Are you ready to go?" my master asked.

"I will follow anywhere," I said. Mikado finished his tea and placed his cup in my bowl. Once we cleaned up everything, I followed father and son into the busy crowd of Bangkok.

I can forget about how crappy things are just enjoy having at least one constant in my life.


	6. Botan

Botan:

_Lonely_

Even in Thailand we are lonely. Anybody that came from Japan is treated like they are diseased. Those who went to the Koreas have it worse than the ones in Thailand. There are rumors that they are shoved into crammed neighborhoods like the Jews were in World War II. They along with the rest of the world had too many news reports of Japan's dying state.

Thailand is no different.

I've seen the looks on the people's faces. We are uninvited guests to them. I can hardly buy anything from the markets because they won't take my money. My master has to step in with the purchases. I don't know how he does it.

"It isn't your fault," Mikado explained. "They are worried about the plague killing them too." I sat on my hotel bed, eyeing him.

"Mikado-san," I said. I moved my hands into my lap.

"What is Japan going to be like five or ten years after the people have left?" I asked. It felt painful to ask. Knowing him, he wouldn't want to tell me anyway. But just like with mom and Jun-san, I just had to know. Mikado had a dead look in his eyes.

"Slowly being eaten away by nature," he said. "There will be nobody to make the repairs to the buildings or the landmarks. Not only that, the typhoons and earthquake will send the whole country into further ruin. Overtime, Japan will look nothing like it did before the plague started wiping people out." He sounded so angry as he spoke. I lowered my head.

"I am sorry I asked," I murmured.

"Don't be," he said. "You didn't cause this." My master walked out of the room. I think I upset him again. He doesn't say it sometimes, but I can guess how he feels. I have learned to know what kind of mood he is in at times. I had to because he won't talk to me.

I looked behind me saw Akira-kun sound asleep on the bed. I brushed his hair from his face. Must be so easy for him. He's only a child. All he has to worry about is food and one of us to take care of him. Plus, he knows more about his father than I do.

I looked out the hotel window again. Today alone felt exhausting. I'm used to people staring at me. But these people made me feel uneasy. Some of them were whispering to each other. It didn't help that didn't understand what they were saying. My master had to be my translator. The whole time, he looked over his shoulder at me.

"Don't bother to ask me," he mouthed at me. I kept my mouth closed and Akira-kun by my side. The more we walked through the streets, I wasn't sure who they were staring at more, my master or me. It seemed like they could sense that he and his son were tadpoles. My eyes trailed over to my master's back.

"Don't say anything," he said under his breath. I looked the other way and said nothing. Lunch was just awkward with silence. I got used to eating Thai right away. My master still doesn't eat much. The waitress noticed it too. She kept offering different items off of the menu.

"No, I'm fine," he would say. "Just get me more tea." The waitress would reluctantly nod and walk away. It is at meal times that I try to piece together who my master really. I know that he can hear my thoughts, but I try anyway. Sometimes, he doesn't call me out on it. I don't know whether to be worried or relieved. That afternoon, I pushed it out of my mind and focus on trying to figure him out. He said that the Tandeki Group took everything away from him. Did they all get killed by the plague? Did he have anymore siblings? How many others were alive out there? Who was this Itori-san and her daughter? How did they survive? Where were they now?

He didn't say anything this time. My master didn't even look at Akira-kun and me. I pressed my lips together. It was tempting to push him to say something. Instead, he flicked out his cigarette and took another smoke. In the end, I sighed and gave up.

I turned around when I heard the door open. My master leaned against the door frame with a disappointed look on his face.

"They don't want to talk here," he said. "I can't feel her anywhere either."

"So… what do that mean?" I asked. "Are we going to leave again?"

"Not quite," he said. "I did find this." My master reached into his pocket and pulled out a crumpled-up piece of paper.

"I found this hidden in a graveyard," he added.

"Why would you go there?" I asked.

"I overheard some old men playing cards talking about a red-haired Japanese woman leaving something in a graveyard. Heh, I shocked them when I spoke perfect Thai."

"What does it say?"

"Hang on." My master walked over to me with the paper in hand. I narrowed my eyes as I tried to read the faint handwriting.

"What does that say?" I asked.

"West," he said. I looked up at him.

"What does that mean?" I asked.

"I can't really tell yet."

"Are we going to have to leave again?"

"Not yet." He walked over and flopped down onto his bed.

"Long day?"

"Mhm."

I tilted my head. This will be pointless to ask, but I just had to do it. I slid off of my bed and walked over to him.

"No, I don't want to talk about it," he said.

"Okay," I said. I turned and walked back to my bed. I knew that was going to happen.

* * *

Hours passed by. I couldn't sleep. When I get like this, I start thinking about what's going to happen to us. I have no family and no boyfriend. I can't really go back to Seattle. I don't know anyone there. My master only let me in a little bit about himself two months ago. Other than, it's gone back to him saying nothing. I don't think anything has changed since we came to Thailand. We are just strangers in a strange land. But what will happen when the plague comes here? Some Japanese people look healthy, but they could be carrying the disease and not know it. My master has assured me that I am clean. It doesn't help that there is no cure or no way to detect the plague. We will just have to wait for death.

That's not the only thing that worries me.

Where will we go after the plague takes over Thailand? I don't think my passport is up to date. I don't think my master or his son has one either. At this point, I don't think it matters anymore. Everyone from Japan has nowhere to go. I'm just lucky to have met Mikado and Akira-kun.

My mind wandered back to my neighbors. Did Mori-san make it out okay? Where did she go? I wanted to believe that she was okay.

"Do you believe it or are you hoping that?" I heard. I looked to see my staring at me from his bed. I shook my head.

"I don't know," I said. "Maybe, I just want one happy ending for a change."

"I'm afraid that is not possible," my master said.

"Must you kill any hope I have left?"

"I'm sorry, but do you want me to cheer you up or to hear the truth?"

"Neither from you." I shivered as his blue eyes seemed to glow in the dark.

"I don't get you," I said.

"Get what?" Mikado asked.

"You won't talk to me. I try to get close to you, but you push me away. You won't tell me anything about yourself."

"I have to keep you away from me."

"But why?"

"Akira-kun and I will live on. You will grow out and die. I have already left too many people close to me. I don't know if I can handle anymore."

"Mikado-san…"

My master turned over in his bed. "Good night."

I puffed up my cheeks as I clenched my sheets. "Fine, good night to you too, jerk." I down in bed and pulled the sheets over my sheets. I closed my eyes and tried to sleep.

Still, I will stay with him and Akira-kun. I don't have a choice. I don't have anyone else. I don't have anywhere else to go. I have nothing.

* * *

-Mikado-

I can still see their faces. Tandeki made it so that I couldn't save them. Anri-chan died being used to fuel the plague. Kida-kun was locked away in frozen sleep being used to free the Woman in Red. I haven't been able to locate him at all. I can't even hear his heart anymore. Most of the other tadpoles ended up dead as well. Their powers run through my body. I can hear their voices crying out to me still.

Jessie can't stay with me like this. I don't mean to push her away, but I will be honest, I am afraid. It's silly to carry this fear of losing more people. But after all that I have seen, I can't get rid of it so easily. It's like it's proof that I can still feel something. However, I just can't leave her behind somewhere. I have to leave her in a safe place. Somewhere she can settle down, get married, and raise a family. This life of wandering doesn't suit her.

But where does that leave me?

I'm not really human anymore. I would stand out no matter where I go. I've gotten used to it, but Akira-kun is a whole different matter. He doesn't really need me, but he doesn't fully grasp the world yet. He is a half-breed. His abilities aren't as strong as mine. I haven't had the time to see the full extent of his powers. I can sense when he is near. He can't hear me in his head. His voice comes through my head, but his voice sounded so muzzled. Akira-kun's powers first manifested when he was three years old. He doesn't really need me.

But, I need him.

"It is okay to lie here, but you can't keep lying to yourself out there. Remember that," Cheri said. I smirked to myself in bed. I hate to admit, but she's got a point. But, my lies help me to keep from going crazy. I'm not the only one either.

Everyone in Thailand lies. They pretend that everything is normal. I wonder if they know that the end is coming from them too. Already, I could see the visions of Thailand's future. We would've been gone by now if I had picked out our next destination. I don't really see the point. The rest of the world will turn into Japan. There will be nothing left to save it. I'm just going to be the one to watch it all slowly die away.

I clutched my pillow as that old feeling of rage bubbled to the surface.

I will not let it go down like this. I can't take it anymore. I will find a way to stop this. I will go back in time if I have to.

But I ran into a problem with that plan.

The forces warring in the other worlds won't allow me to do so. There are other things they won't let me do. I've tried to go to Heaven to see Anri-chan again, but I was denied.

"But why?" I asked. Rei, the leader of the tennin, shook her head.

"I am sorry, Mikado," she said. "That's just how it is."

"But…" I said. She bowed her head.

"I really wish I could bend the rules," Rei said. "I'm so sorry." That was it. I couldn't bring back my siblings and my friends. I can't die. I can't go into Heaven. But, I refuse to wander and push Jessie away anymore. I want Akira-kun to grow up in a better world.

I made up my mind.

I will give it my all to undo all of this. To hell with the forces against me. I am tired of being the audience. I am fighting back. I will not be Kitano's eyes anymore. I don't know how I am going to do it, but I will try.

I turned to see Jessie finally asleep in her bed. Oh well, she'll have to stay with me a little bit longer. While I try to fix this mess, I will try to find a safe place for her to live. If I do success in fixing this mess, I might never get to see her again. But at least she'll still have her boyfriend and her family. It will all be worth it. She won't be so lonely. I might see her again, but it would be different circumstances.

I looked over at Akira-kun asleep beside her. He deserves to have his mother and father in his life. He'd probably grow up a little more normal. Heh, normal. There isn't such a thing for Akira-kun and me anymore. I won't be able to go back to the time before I was turned into a tadpole, but I can make it so that Akira-kun will have what can be passable for a normal life. Will I be able to get everyone back? Will the forces above try to stop me? I don't care anymore. Jessie and Akira-kun are all that matter. Once I find Itori and Sakura, I will get them to help me. All for Jessie and Akira-kun.

I will do it for both of them. I will reach out back in time to change their future.

* * *

-Jessie-

The next morning, I saw my master sitting on the bed, staring at me.

"Mikado… -san?" I asked. I sat up with a confused look on my face.

"What happened? Is something wrong?" I asked. He smiled and shook his head. I don't think I have ever seen him smile.

"No," he said. "Everything is fine. I have made my mind."

"What?" I asked. His face came within inches of mine.

"I will make this up to you," he said. "I will try and fix all of this."

"What?" I asked. He stood up and walked over to the door.

"Where are you going?" I asked.

"To get you and Akira-kun food," my master said. He walked out the door behind I could ask any more questions. I sat there even more confused than ever. What did he mean by he would fix all of this? He just keeps making it more confusing for me.


	7. Hagi

Hagi:

_Saturday Nights._

-Jessie-

Every Saturday night brings something different.

It's not all bad in Thailand. There are some good days here. I lay back on my bed and looked up at the ceiling. When was the last time it was quiet with people in the city like this? I have to pinch my cheeks to see if I am dreaming.

"No, it's real," my master said. I turned to him, frowning.

"Stop doing that!" I complained.

"Sorry," he said. "That's how I am. You know that, right?"

"Yeah, yeah," I muttered. He's probably going to go out again tonight. I still don't have a clue what he does in the night. I gave up on asking. But, there's something different in his eyes. Like he's found a new goal to work towards.

"Mikado-san," I said. My master glanced up at me.

"Hm?" he asked.

"Did something happen?" I asked. "You seem… different."

"Different?" Mikado asked. I nodded.

"Heh," he said.

"That's it?"

"Yes. Were you expecting something else?"

"No." I turned over onto my side. He sure knows how to kill a decent moment.

* * *

A little while back I wondered where we would go next. South Korea was off the table.

"It's too dangerous," my master said. That was one of the few times I didn't argue with him. Conditions for the Japanese living there grew worse. There had been reports of violence against anyone from Japan, native or not. If they were a woman, sexual assault was high for them.

"But where can we go?" I asked.

"I haven't figured that one out yet," Mikado said. "The plague will be coming for Thailand soon as well."

"You can't be serious!"

"I'm afraid I am."

"But… how?"

"The plague's just that complex." He clenched his fists at his side. His voice trembled as he spoke.

"Mikado-san?" I asked. When he turned his head, he had a fire in his eyes. But, I couldn't see any emotion on his face.

I decided to drop it from there.

* * *

Mikado sat on his bed, smiling at me.

"What?" I asked.

"You know who you remind me of?" he asked.

"What?" I asked. He leaned forward with his smile.

"There was a blonde Russian assassin named Vorona," my master said. "She followed around Ikebukuro's strongest man."

"Ikebukuro's strongest man?" I asked. He started to go into stories about Ikebukuro in the old days. I saw a little spark in his eyes as he talked. He talked about his school, his friends, all the people he met, and all the things that went on. I propped my head up and smiled.

"It's funny," I said.

"What?" he asked.

"You're opening up to me again," I said. "It feels nice."

"Oh."

"What's the matter?"

"That's not good for me."

"What do you mean?"

"You know what I am, right?"

"Yes."

My master rubbed his forehead. "You can't keep staying with me like this."

"You are all I have."

"That's the problem." He threw back his head and sighed. "No, I do not hate you. But you just can't stay with me forever."

"Why is that?" I asked.

"You will eventually die."

"I know." I sat up on my bed. "I don't care about that." I saw the puzzled look on his face. "What? What did I say to make you look so shocked like that?" My master did not answer. He just got up and walked out of the room.

"Mikado-san?" I asked. The door slammed shut. Okay then…

* * *

I won't give up my quest on him. What is he going to do? He can't really get rid of me. Where will I go? I have no money left. I can't speak Thai. I don't know my way around Bangkok too well. I'm just sunk here. My master is my only hope for survival. He knows it too. I'm not the only one who wants to stay.

Akira-kun crawled into my lap. I patted him on the head. He's always smiling. I wonder if he knows the gravity of the world around him. It's hard to tell with him sometimes. Right now, he looked up at me.

"Your papa is a confusing man at times," I said. Akira-kun shook his head.

"No?" I asked.

"He's just really sad," he said.

"Is that right?" I asked. The little boy nodded his head in my lap.

"Could've fooled me," I muttered. I looked out the window. Sometimes, it annoys that I have to rely on others to survive. I did it with Josh and now I am doing it with my master. When did I turn this weak?

"You're not weak," Akira-kun said. I couldn't help but smile.

"You are a really sweet kid," I said. I wanted to believe him. But, I am not that helpless sixteen-year-old girl anymore. I will be twenty-three soon. I can't keep living like a weak little girl like this.

"Would you like for your papa to get you something sweet next time he goes out?" I asked.

"Yay!" Akira-kun cheered. I giggled at how happy he sounded. Must be nice to be a kid.

* * *

There are times where my master will prove that he has a heart.

I looked up when I heard a knock on the door.

"Who is it?" I asked.

"Only me," my master said. I watched the door open. My master stood in the doorway with his cigarette hanging out of his mouth.

"Yo," I said.

"Get dressed," he said. "We're going out tonight." I gave him a strange look.

"Why?" I asked.

"I made a promise, didn't I?" he asked. "I'm taking you out on the city tonight. It's a bit too late for dinner. But, I will make up dinner with you in another place." I covered my mouth as I gasped.

"Are you serious?" I asked.

"Yes," he said.

"Wow," I mouthed. I looked up at my master again. "Uh… Okay. We can do that. I will go change clothes." I walked over to towards the closet and paused.

"I don't have anything nice to wear," I said.

"Look in the closet," he said. Mikado put up his hand as I began to speak. "Just do it." I walked over to the closet and opened the doors. A long single red dress hung in plastic on a wooden hanger. My jaw dropped.

"When… When did you get this?" I asked.

"A couple of days ago," he said. "Go on, try it on." I stared at him for a second before reaching for the dress. I disappeared into the bathroom with it. He got this dress for me? That stuns me. It looks pretty, though. I guess I could humor him. I changed out of my shorts and tank top. Wow, this dress really looks great on me. I love the red satin. I turned around in the mirror.

"How is it?" my master asked. I stepped out of the bathroom.

"It fits," I said.

"You're so pretty!" Akira-kun said. Mikado whistled.

"When did you get my measurements?" I asked.

"I didn't," he said. I just stared at him.

"You're joking," I said.

"No," he said. I took a step back.

"I didn't hear your thoughts this time," my master said. "Everything about you is in my head." The color drained from my face.

"That's just how I am," he said. "I did not want this for myself. I wouldn't wish it on anybody, not even my worse enemy." I shuffled my feet at bit.

"Are you leaving Akira-kun with Hikira again?" I asked.

"Of course," he said. Hikira materialized before my eyes. She turned to my master.

"Stay and watch over Akira-kun for us," Mikado said in a low voice.

"Yes, sir," he said. She bowed her head and walked over to Akira-kun sitting on my bed. Mikado turned to his son.

"Now behave yourself, okay?" he asked.

"Yes!" the little boy said. My master kissed him on the forehead. He turned his focus on me.

"Ready to go?" he asked. I stood up straight.

"Yes," I said.

"Let's go," my master said. He and I headed out of the room.

* * *

Bangkok at night. I will never get tired of it. I wish every night would be like this.

"It almost shocks me too," my master admitted as we walked around the streets of Bangkok. I looked over at him.

"Is that right?" I asked.

"Yeah," he muttered.

"So, where are we going?" I asked.

"Just walking around the city," my master said. I nodded with a little smile. That actually sounded… rather nice.

"We didn't money with us," I said.

"Money?" Mikado asked.

"You know, for if we want to buy treats and snacks. Maybe a couple drinks."

"Don't worry, I will handle it."

"How?"

"I will handle it."

I grabbed onto my right wrist. "Okay…" My master rubbed on my back.

"Trust me with tonight," he said. I forced myself to smile. That's all I can do. I almost want to kick myself for that.

"You are not weak," he said. I turned my head.

"Huh?" I asked. He put his hand on my shoulder.

"Just because you rely on someone don't mean that you are not weak," he told me. "You've managed to survive this long. That says something." I pressed my lips together and shrugged. Part of me wanted to believe him. Still, I didn't want to feel like a burden to him.

"You aren't a burden," Mikado said. I looked at him, frowning.

"Mikado-san, can you not listen to my thoughts for one night?" I asked.

"I told you that I can't," he said. "But I will keep it to myself."

"Thank you," I said. I looked at the bright lights overhead. It's like watching a magic trick with them. It took me back to be six years old again. My master chuckled to himself.

* * *

We just walked around the city. The sound of traffic delighted. My master and I disappeared into the crowd. Japan's been so empty for so long. I should be used to this by now.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" my master asked.

"Yeah," I said. I let out a low whistle. The vendors were still at work. The smell of food teased my nose. I had to swallow back my drool. My master chuckled to himself. I sheepishly lowered my head.

"It's okay," he said. "I understand you. The smell is overpowering to me, actually." Mikado closed his eyes and took a smell.

"It's makes my eyes water a bit," he said.

"It isn't that bad," I said.

"Well, you don't have heightened senses like I do."

"True."

My master shoved his hands into his pockets. "Let's buy some treats for Akira-kun."

"Yeah," I said. "What do you think he'll like?"

"He's not really particular. If it's sweet, he'll eat it."

I threw back my head and laughed. "That is true. I wonder what's still open tonight." We came across a small candy shop downtown. Nobody but the clerk was still inside. Speaking of which, said clerk didn't even look up at us as they read their magazine.

"Get what you think he'll like," my master whispered.

"Right," I said. We started scouring the aisles. Hm… There seems to be mostly coffee candy here. I'm not sure if the kid will like it. Some of them look good. I picked up a bag of cappuccino candy. I turned it over and looked at the back. Still can't read Thai, but it looks good. I will have to see. I put the bag into the little basket. After about ten minutes, my master and I met up near the front counter.

"What did you get?" I asked.

"Some chocolates, wafer bars, and some spicy candies," he said. My master looked into my basket. "Coffee candies, I see." I shrugged my shoulders.

"Figured why not," I said.

"Good enough," he said. We walked up to the cashier. My master did all of the talking and made the purchases. He and clerk bowed before we left.

"How do you do it?" I asked as we walked out of the store.

"I just talk to him and give him the money," Mikado said. He put up his hand as I opened my mouth.

"Don't ask anymore questions," he said. I closed my mouth.

"Thank you," he said. My master walked ahead of me. There he goes again.

"Are you coming?" he asked.

"Oh! Hang on!" I shouted. I ran to check up with him. My stomach started to growl in the middle of our walk. I nervously laughed as he looked at me.

"You want something to eat?" he asked.

"Yeah…" I mumbled. We ended up a small noodle booth. The spicy peanut sauce made my mouth water. Stars filled my eyes as I took my seat. The cook looked up from the pot that he was drying.

"Welcome to my booth," he said. "What can I help you with tonight?" His English rather surprised me. Most of the vendors didn't even want to talk anyone Japanese at all.

"What would you recommend tonight?" Mikado asked in equally good English. The cook took a moment to think.

"Well, there is pad Thai," he said. "I also have drunken noodle, boat noodles, stir-fried glass noodles, and basil fried rice."

"Hm… do you have that noodle dish in that green curry and chicken?" my master asked. I looked between him and the cook. The latter perked up.

"Oh, you mean the Khanom chin kaeng khiao wan kai?" he asked.

"Yes, that one is really good," Mikado said. "Can I have that?"

"Sure," the cook said. He turned his attention to me. "And what would you like?"

"Drunken noodle, please," I said.

"Coming up," the cook said. He got right to work. I turned to my master.

"He seems nice," I said.

"Yes," Mikado said. He muttered something under his breath to the cook. The other man glanced up and nodded. I looked between them with a confused look on my face.

"Do not ask," my master said under his breath. I closed my mouth and lowered my eyes. Minutes later, the cook came back with our food.

"Here you go," he said.

"Thank you," Mikado said, bowing. He and I began to eat. I had to admit, my drunken noodles were pretty good. To my surprise, my master was eating for a change. My jaw dropped as I watched him chewing. He lowered his chopsticks.

"Yes, I do eat sometimes," my master said. "Most of the time I don't because I don't need to."

"Is it because of your powers?" I whispered.

"Yes," he said.

"Wow," I mouthed. I returned to eat with shock. In the middle of our late night meal, I noticed my master talking to the cook in a hushed tone. The latter reached under the counter and pulled out a piece of folded up paper. My master shoved it into his jeans pocket. He cut a cold glare out of the corner of his eye. I looked down at my bowl and didn't say a word. My master paid for everything when we finished eating.

"Have a good night," the cook said as we left. My master bowed his head before we were gone. Mikado and I ended up staying out until about three in the morning. To be honest, I enjoyed that Saturday night with us walking around in Thailand.

"We have again," my master said when we returned to the room. I looked up at him.

"Where are we going now?" I asked. "Is the plague coming?" He shook his head.

"She's not here," he said.

"Itori-san?" I asked. "Where is now?" My master walked into the room.

"Where are we going now?" I asked.

"I do not know," he said. I watched as he walked over to the bathroom. Okay then. I sat down on my bed and lied down next to a sleeping Akira-kun. Thailand was starting to lose its appeal anyway. I closed eyes my eyes and drifted off to sleep.

Within three days' time, my master, Akira-kun, and I left Thailand.


	8. Susuki

Susuki:

_Lonely Morning_

We left East Asia in a course of a three months. We ended up in Turkey. My master is really good at speaking different language. I think he could speak every language in the world. I only knew English and some Japanese. Because of this, I let him deal with everything. My master is the one who brings our food and deals with the money. As we travel further west, I feel that I have to stay by him. Lately, Mikado doesn't seem to mind it. He still doesn't talk much about himself, though.

More and more people are fleeing East Asia. Looks like the plague is spreading faster than they predicted. The body count kept rising each day. The governments keep burning them to stop the spread.

"Fire will not help," my master told me after we learned about what they were doing in Thailand.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"It's evolving," he said.

"But how is that possible?"

Mikado turned his head. "That's how it was designed." I couldn't understand what he was saying. But, I noticed him trembling.

"What's the matter?" I asked. I reached out to touch his shoulder, but he shoved me away.

"Don't touch me," he said.

"Mikado?" I asked. My master stood up and walked over to the door.

"Where are you going?" I asked.

"Out," he said. My master closed the door behind him. I lowered my hand and as I sat down on the low bed.  _Mikado…_

* * *

-Mikado-

Niki looked at me in bed. "What's the matter Mikado-kun?" I shook my head. It felt like staring at Anri-chan. I reached out and touched her cheek.

"Nothing," I said.

"Come on," Niki-chan said. "I can't stand to see you upset like this."

"I'm not upset."

"Yes, you are."

I looked up at the ceiling and sighed. Am I really that transparent? I shut my eyes and shook my head. "There's so much on my mind?"

"Is it Jessie again?"

"Her. How things have turned out. Figuring out how to stop it."

Niki rested her hand on his chest. "I don't like seeing you like this." She looked like she was ready to cry. I rolled over and kissed her on the lips. I have been going to Cheri's kitten more often lately. This was turning into a bad habit.

"You can take the wig off now if you want," I said. Niki shook her head.

"No?" I asked.

"I'm okay with it on for a little bit longer," she said. My eyes rolled back up to the ceiling.

"Fine, whatever," I muttered.

"That bad?"

"Yeah."

She nuzzled me on the neck as I patted her on the head. I didn't know I came here tonight. I just left the hotel room in the living world and went to Purgatory. Cheri didn't say anything either. She didn't need to. I reached over my cigarettes.

"I have been trying to fix everything," I said.

"You mean…"

"Yes."

"How are you going to do that?"

"I will try any way possible. I just need to find Itori-san to help me."

"She's still alive?"

"Yes. She and her daughter." I lit up my cigarette. "They might help reverse this." My mind went back to Anri. I've tried to see her in Heaven many times. They've turned me away every time. I couldn't understand it at first.

"Why can't I see her?" I asked. Rei bowed her head.

"I'm so sorry," she said. "She doesn't want to see you."

"But why?" I asked.

"I'm so sorry," Rei repeated. She turned and walked into her office. My heart sank as the door closed. Fifty-eight times I tried. Fifty-eight times I tried to enter Heaven. Rejected every single time.

"Were you rejected again?" Niki asked tonight. I shook my head.

"I might just have to give up," I said.

"What? You can't mean that."

"What choice do I have? They won't let me see her. And apparently she doesn't want to see me either."

"What makes you say that?"

"The head teninn told me. 'She doesn't want to see you,' she said. I asked why and she wouldn't tell me."

"That doesn't seem right."

I shrugged my shoulders. "That's just how it is now." It hurt to say it out loud. Niki did have a point, but what could I do? The teninn had the final say. And I wouldn't doubt that Anri-chan would not want to see me in Heaven. I'm part of the reason why she's there in the first place. Same with Masaomi's fate.

Niki put her hand on my chest. "It's not your fault."

"I know." I clutched the sheets under me. "I will make this right. No matter how long it takes me." She rested her head on my chest.

"Is there anything that I can do?"

I gently patted Niki on the head. "Just be there for me. I don't need anything more."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah." I didn't think she knew how to help me. She laid her head on my chest.

"We can just lay here until you have to go."

I closed my eyes. "Thank you." Jessie and Akira-kun will be alone again this morning. But somehow, that isn't on my mind all that much. I just didn't want to feel anything for the moment. I can't keep doing this. No matter where I go, I always end up going back to Purgatory. Back to Cheri and her kittens.

I shook my head.

Is this what I have become? Have I really become this pathetic?

"No," Niki said. "I don't think you are."

"Thanks," I said in a low voice. I wanted to believe her, but yeah…

* * *

-Jessie-

It's only three in the morning. He's gone again. I should be used to this by now. I rolled over onto my back and stared at the ceiling. It still sucks when he's not here. I looked down at Akira-kun still sound asleep beside me. Seeing his little face reminds me that this is real. I am not really alone anymore. If Mikado-san hadn't come along, I would've been stuck in prostitution in that club until the plague claimed me. With him, I have been able to hold on for so long. But, I can't help but wonder how long it will last.

He's immortal and will stay forever young. He keeps reminding me of this. It's not bragging, mind you. Mikado-san does this as a way to try and push me away in a sense.

"You can't always stay with me," he says. "You will eventually die. That's just how it is."

"Well, let me stay with you until then," I tell him.

"You don't get it, do you?" he asks. "You are just a normal. You have the pleasure of growing old and dying! The only person that could kill me has vanished without a trace. I don't even know where she went. Akira-kun and I will just go on living as this world keeps dying. You on the other hand will die and never have to see this place again!" Mikado-san sounded so angry when he said that.

Maybe he is right though. When you are in you are a kid, you don't think about things like growing old, getting sick, or dying. The world seems like an endless planet of dreams and possibilities. Excuse me for sounding cheesy, but I'm trying to make a point here. Anyway, where was I? Oh yes, world seems like an endless planet of dreams and possibilities. But as you grow up, that planet starts to shrink. A little bit at first, so small that you don't notice it. It gets smaller and smaller until you notice that you are looking around in the darkness. You don't even see it coming either. I'm not at that point yet. I can still see that planet of dreams and possibilities. It's not closed in on me yet.

Or at least that's what I want to believe.

I looked over at the clock on the nightstand. 4:47? It doesn't feel like it. He's still not back yet either. I don't know when he's coming in this time. I should be used be it by now. My thoughts broke when a little warm body cuddled up against my side. I looked down and saw Akira-kun again. He had his hand in his mouth. He does that in his sleep sometimes. I tried to smile as I shook my head. I pulled his hand out of his mouth. We don't know why he does that. Mikado-san is trying to break him of that habit.

"When did he start doing that?" I asked. He only shrugged and shook his head. Akira-kun mumbled something as he turned over on his side. Seeing him pushes away my worry and calms me down.

I looked up when I heard the door open.

"I'm back," Mikado said in a low voice. I closed my eyes and pretended to still be asleep. I heard him slip off his shoes and walk over to the bed. Sure, I will grow old and eventually die. Maybe my master and I will go our separate ways in another country somewhere. I don't care. They are all I have to keep me sane in this mad world.

I know that I have been saying this many times, but I feel that I have to stress this. Otherwise, I will just start losing my mind.

"I know you're awake," my master said. I slowly opened one eye. Mikado-san sat at the foot of the bed, watching me.

"Good morning," he said. I moved my arms behind my head.

"How long are we staying here in Turkey?" I asked.

"I don't know," my master said. "We'll just play it by ear."

"Okay," I said. Fine by me. Turkey doesn't seem that bad once get used to it. It's just another adventure with my master and his son. Just the way I like it.


	9. Kiku

Kiku

_End of Summer_

-Mikado-

We will be leaving Turkey soon. My informants told me that Itori all the way in America with Sakura. They got the closet to New York. It's going to take a while for us to get out of Europe all that way to America. Jessie doesn't mind it. She just wants to stay by me. I've given up on pushing her away at this point. She won't listen either way.

There is one place that I can get away for myself once in a while.

"We're leaving Turkey in morning," I said, sitting on the hotel bed.

"And go where?" Jessie asked.

"Further west," I said. "I haven't decided exactly where."

"Hm," she said. I stood up and walked over to the door.

"Where are you going now?" Jessie asked.

"Out," I said.

"When will you back?" she asked.

"Morning," I said. I walked out of the door before she could ask anymore questions. I still don't think she'll understand me going to Purgatory for sex.

* * *

I walked up to the glass of an abandoned night club. I breathed onto the surface and wrote down "252-861-2256-18". This number is universally no matter where I go. Part of me hopes that it isn't. I know why I keep doing this, but I wish that I can stop. The portal opened up and walked through.

I have a date tonight.

Miiko looked up at the front desk. "Welcome back, Mikado-san!" I kind of waved at her as I cringed. She blinked at me with a strange look on her face.

"What the matter?" she asked. I shook my head. Miiko gave me a look of sympathy.

"We are here for you," she said. I pressed my lips together. She is right. I know she's right. But still…

Miiko took my hand and smiled. "It will be okay," her eyes said. I wanted to believe her so badly. I pulled my hand away instead.

"Thank you," I said.

"Who are you seeing tonight?" Miiko asked. My eyes shifted away from her.

"Oh…" she said. "You remember the room  _he's_  in?" I nodded once. Miiko pressed her lips together as she turned to her wall of keys. Her skinny finger ran in circles trying to find the right key.

"Let's see…" Miiko said. "Which one is it? Which one? Which one? Ah, here it is." She rested on key number 537. She turned and handed it to me.

"Here you are," Miiko said. "Enjoy your night." I cringed as I took the key. I bowed my head and walked over to the dark gold elevator.

* * *

I stand inside alone in my thoughts on the ride up. I need to stop doing this. But, something about him reminds of Kida-kun in a way. I miss my best friend. He and the other three players of that sick game are still trapped within the Woman in Red's body. That bastard Kitano manipulated Masaomi into agreeing to become player into that stupid game. They killed Saki to put him in a vulnerable place. He wasn't thinking clearly. Kadota and Rokujo tried to talk some sense into him. Kitano, Mayfair-san, and Etsuko got to him in the end.

Thoughts like this just make me so mad. I closed my eyes and breathed in. The doors opened by the time I calmed down. I was used to the heavy cinnamon perfume by now. The quiet still gets to me though.

I walked up to Room 537 and put my ear to the door. Ax expected, I heard the faint sounds of rustling inside. He knew that I'm here. I knocked on the door.

"Enter," a feminine sounding man said. I pulled out my key and unlocked the door.

Candles lit up the room. It felt like I stepped back into a Japanese in during the federal era. Most of the furniture in the room was covered up with a white cloth. The room looked like it had just been cleaned up. I looked towards the back of the room.

I spotted a pair of golden eyes watching me. I could see the smoke from the smooth dark brown pipe as well.

"Is that you, Mikado-kun?" he asked. I lowered my eyes.

"Yes," I said. He leaned forward. Why did he have to be so beautiful? His skin couldn't even compare with the light of the moon. I wanted to run my fingers through his short dark hair. His deep red eyes reminded me of Anri-chan's. He had on his black kimono tonight. I tried not to look at his exposed bare chest.

"I know I'm pretty," he said. "But I don't need someone to stare at me all night." I cleared my throat.

"Hello, Ren," I muttered. Ren put out his pipe.

"Good evening, my dear," he said.

"You haven't changed at all," I said.

"Neither have you."

"Heh." I took out my cigarette and snubbed it out. Ran gave me a cat-like smile.

"Aw," he said. "Why so sad?" I shook my head.

"I'm not sad," I said. "I'm just…"

"Lonely?" Ren asked. I pressed my lips together as I nodded. Something about his angelic face and sweet smile reminded me of Kida-kun. He put out his pipe and walked over to me. I could smell the cinnamon on his body as he leaned in for a kiss.

"Tell you what," he said. "Why don't you take a bath and I will help mend everything broken inside of you."

"You sure that will work?" I asked.

"I can try," he purred in my ear. His hot breath made me shiver. I gulped as I nodded.

"That's a good boy," he said. I walked over to the bathroom as if in a trance.

"Oh, Mikado-kun," Ren spoke up. I looked over my shoulder. He gave me a cat-like smile.

"Do a good job," he said. "Get underneath the foreskin and all. You know I like my dicks clean."

"It's going to get dirty anyway," I muttered.

"Well, I like it clean going in," Ren said.

"Whatever," I said, rolling my eyes. I walked into the bathroom and closed the door behind me.

* * *

We were only together for one night, Kida-kun and I. This was before Anri-chan died. He couldn't stand to see me in so much misery. Masaomi stuck by me through everything. The experiments. The flashbacks. Me being constantly attacked. My breakdowns. I don't know how he did it. When did he get so brave?

There I go again. I'm disappearing myself again.

I leaned back in the tub and stared at the ceiling. No matter how much I try to move on, it creeps back in and pulls me back into that place. I keep promising myself to go there, but what else can I do at times like this? The warm water couldn't bring me out of it for a change. No amount of scrubbing could wash away my misery. It could, but only for a moment, make me forget about my pain.

I sank down into the water and held my breath. There it goes again. Get it together, man!

After the bath, I came back into the room with only a towel around my waist. Ren looked up at me from the futon. The obi slipped halfway off.

"Welcome back," he said. I didn't say a word. Ren stood up, letting his obi fall to the floor. His kimono fluttered open as he shoved it off. How could a man look this beautiful? Sometimes when I see Ren I have to wonder if I am dreaming or not. He came over to me and kissed me on the lips. I could feel how hard he was against the towel. Ren reached around my waist and slid it off. His touch was so gentle. Sometimes, I get confused and start to believe that he is a woman.

"No," Ren said, breaking off the kiss. "I am a man. I am a man and I am real." I didn't get mad when he hears my thoughts. He playfully tackled me down to the futon. I laid on my back, staring up at him. Was that Masaomi staring down at me?

No. That's not him.

"What do you desire tonight, master?" Ren asked. I gulped as I stared into his deep red eyes.

"Please…" I pleaded.

"Please what?" he asked. I shut my eyes.

"Please… take me!" I pleaded.

"Heh," Ren said. He slipped down and took whole of my cock. I shivered as he started to stroke me a bit to get it hard. This was just a teaser. I knew how to show went. He looked up at me with those lustful eyes of his. I could already tell what he was thinking.

Ren started with the head. The tip of his tongue sent a chill down my spine. Only he can wake up the old me inside if only for a fleeting moment. I took in heavy breaths. Slowly, Ren started to take me into his mouth. My eyes rolled back into my head.

"Oh," I murmured. His tongue felt good against the skin. Slowly, I began to get hard.

"Ah!" I moaned. I could feel his eyes on me. He's probably smirking at me. I peeked down and found myself to be correct. Ren slowly took more of me into his mouth. He looked like a beautiful snake devouring his prey. The way he looked at me consumed me. Yes! Take me! I am yours!

My mind went back to Kida-kun. His jokes were lame, but they kept me sane when things were going down. We slowly started to develop into a closeness that was more than friendly. Ever since he grabbed my wrist, he started to fall in love with me. It was all because Azusa's powers. The rest developed on its own. I didn't mind it. I just wanted a little trace of normal in my life. Our relationship came to a head when Saki died. I told him that I would be there for him. He kissed me again and then one thing led to another. I just let him. There was no harm in it, right? I was just being for friend who was drowning because of those bastards in Tandeki. It was all because I did love Kida-kun in a way and I didn't want him to be trapped in my misery too. What was wrong with that?

I snapped back into reality as I felt my cock going deeper into Ren's mouth. He still had his eyes on me. How could such a mouth by skilled at deep throating? This was his final move to get his client at their largest. I felt myself close to coming when he slowly pulled away. I lower lip quivered. Ren smiled and wagged his finger back and forth.

"Tsk, tsk," he said. "We're only getting started." I drew my mouth closed.

"Good," Ren said. "Now, you want to be on the top or do you want me to be on the top?" I gulped as I pressed my lips together.

"Your choice," I said. I felt my old self surfacing to the top. My voice hasn't cracked like that in a long time. Ren gave me a quick kiss.

"Your wish is my command," he said. He rolled me over onto my stomach. I pushed myself up on all fours. I closed my eyes and waited for what was coming next.

Ren's pretty skilled at this. His fingers were slender and dainty like a woman's. They felt so warm with the lube playing in my hole. One finger… Two fingers… And finally three fingers. I froze with a gasp. He dug in deep for that one spot to make this more interesting.

"Ah! Ah, damn!" I shouted. Ren chuckled behind me. Already, I held the tip go inside. He grabbed me by the hips. This beautiful man doesn't ram it all in either. Oh no. He took his time going in inch by inch. I groaned at the sensation. I've done this before, but it never got old. Halfway in and I have already lost it to the pleasure. Ren chuckled as he pushed in further. Once he is in, my mind is lost to the pleasure. I forgot about the misery, my loneliness, and the reality in the living world. I can just focus on the forgetting.

I fell back into the mind-numbing pleasure.

Again and again Ren rammed into me. I grabbed onto the sheets below. I bit down on my lower lip in vain. Soft moans filled the room. Ren picked up his pace as my mind got lost in the temporary release.

"Do you want me to keep going?" he purred in my ear. "I can stop if you want me to." I quickly shook my head.

"No," I said, breathless. "I… need… more. Please… more!"

"Heh," was all Ren said. He pounded into me as hard as he could, his nails digging into my skin. I howled in pain and pleasure.

"I can't hold it!" he shouted. I embraced myself as he broke down into his climax. It didn't take long for me to reach my own release. We lay beside each other, panting. Ren ran small circles on my chest.

"I wish that you could stay," he whispered.

"You know I can't," I said back. Ren frowned as he rested his head on my chest. Sometimes, I think that Masaomi is back with me again. The last thing I saw in my mind was his smiling face before closing my eyes.

By morning, I got up and slid out of Ren's grip. It's kind of shitty of me to leave him like this. But, I have to. I cannot stay in Purgatory because I am still alive. I didn't make eye contact as I walked down the hall. Miiko probably saw me but said nothing. I didn't turn around to see. All I knew was I had to get back to Jessie and Akira-kun before they woke up.

I disappeared back into the living world.

* * *

-Jessie-

I awoke to see my master sitting in front of me the next morning.

"Morning," he whispered. I narrowed my eyes.

"Where did you go last night?" I asked.

"Just out," Mikado said. "Listen, we will be leaving Turkey soon. I don't know where we will go next."

"When do we leave?" I asked.

"I will let you know," he said. My master stood up and walked over to the bathroom. I rolled over onto my back. Well, okay. Wherever he goes, I will go too.


	10. Momiji

Momiji

_Midnight Fireworks._

By late autumn, we arrived in London. It feels nice to be in a country that speaks English for a change. The accents and the slang may be a bit confusing, but I could handle it. What I couldn't take was what my master would say next

I sat on the hotel bed with a confused look on my face.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"It's just as I said," my master said. "We will not be staying together."

"But…" I said.

"I will not argue with you," he said. "We've been over this. You can't stay with me. I am immortal and you are not. You will eventually grow old and die. This is why you can't stay with me." Mikado flicked out his cigarette.

"I will stay with you until we get to New York," he said. "Then, you have to promise me that you will not look for me after I leave you." I closed my mouth at the way he said it.

"Good," he said. My master flicked out his cigarette. It hurt to hear him say that. Sure, I had the feeling that time would come soon. But he didn't have to say it like that. He made me so mad.

We didn't talk for days. I was just that mad. Akira tilted his head at me one evening.

"What's wrong, nee-san?" he asked. I frowned and shook my head.

"Your daddy said something hurtful to me," I said.

"Why would he do that?" Akira-kun asked. I shrugged and shook my head.

"I don't know what you Papa is thinking at times," I said. He rested his head on my lap. I gently patted the child on the head. I don't think he can cheer me up this time. Now what?

* * *

Days later, it was Halloween. So many pumpkins everywhere. The orange made my eyes hurt. My master glanced over his shoulder.

"Care to go out with me tonight?" he asked. I tilted my head.

"I thought you didn't want anything to do with me," I said. Mikado frowned with that usual dull look in his eyes.

"Come on, don't be like that," he said. "I'm extending an olive branch here. I am not taking back what I said. We can't stay together. But I want us to part on a positive note."

"You hurt me," I said.

"I know," he said.

"You didn't have to say it like that!"

"I know." His calm tone made me want to scream. He always did to me when I was mad at him in an argument. My master would still stay calm even if I jumped up and started strangling him. I puffed up my cheeks and dropped my shoulders.

"Fine," I grumbled. "I accept your invitation."

"Thank you," Mikado said. "I left you a dress in the closet."

"Okay," I said.

* * *

I bit down into a candied apple. Oh god, when was the last time I had one of these. Akira-kun seemed to be enjoying his as well. Everybody around us was dressed in costumes. Mostly like British royals from ancient times. I did see quite a few vampires. Some werewolves. Even a few anime characters from the past. I felt underdressed in my long red dress with tan leggings.

"It's like an anime convention," I said.

"Hm," Mikado said. He appeared to be looking around for something. I tilted my head.

"What are you looking for?" I asked. My master turned his head.

"Hm?" he asked.

"You're doing it again," I said. "Can you stop staring off into space for a change and enjoy tonight?" I knelt down and picked up Akira-kun.

"Look at this little face," I said. "He's having such a good time. Are you going to rob him of his little joy?" Akira-kun put on a pouty face to my pleasant surprise.

"Good grief," Mikado said with a sigh. "Fine." He started to walk ahead of us into the crowd. Akira-kun and I high-fived once I put him back down.

Nothing else happened during this festival. At least now my master tried to look more engaged. Akira-kun took in the sights and sounds around him. I could be rich with every time he said "wow" and "so cool". I couldn't help but smile. This little boy might not know it, but he was the glue that kept us together.

"Nee-san," I heard Jessie said. "Where's Papa?"

"Huh?" I asked. I looked up and Mikado was nowhere in sight. The crowd cheered louder around us.

"Where is he?" I asked. I pulled Akira-kun close to my side as I began my search through the crowd.

"Mikado-san!" I shouted. "Mikado-san!" I couldn't hear my own voice over the crowd. I should've known he would do something like this. Akira-kun grabbed onto my leg. I patted him on the head.

"It's okay," I said. "We'll find him." Akira-kun looked so worried. It took hours, but I finally spotted my master across the street in an alley. But, he wasn't alone. A pale-looking woman with long dark hair stood in front of him. She had on a brown corset and a brown short skirt. I was wondering if she was cold with no coat on. I tilted my head. She didn't look like one of his girlfriends.  _Who was that?_

* * *

-Mikado-

I hadn't expected to see her again. I thought she had died with the rest of the nightcomers. So, imagine my shock when I saw Hecate Mayfair out in the crowds tonight. Jessie, Akira-kun, and I were in the streets among the crowd when I spotted her across the street.

She spoke to me.

_We have to talk. Come and find me._

I couldn't forget her voice if I tried. I started to remember the say Ikebukuro fell to the plague. Hecate had a hand in this. I vowed to myself that if I saw her again that I would strangle her. But something tells me if I was going to try and fix everything, I would have to hear her out.

_Okay, where do you want to me._

_Look up and follow me._

I lifted my head. Hecate was across the street, watching me. She hadn't changed at all from all of those years. She turned and disappeared down an alley way. I turned behind me. Jessie and Akira-kun were too distracted with a lady selling paper lanterns. It sounds like a trap, but I don't think it will take me too long. I vanished into thin air while my son and my companion were still distracted.

* * *

"What do you want?" I asked. Hecate looked so much smaller than what I remembered. Even in her high-heeled boots her head came up to my chest. Her corset closed in on her rib chest. She looked up at me with a cat-like smile on her face.

"I want to see you thrive," she said. "You have been doing so world in this new world." I all but laughed.

"Why are you so interested in me? I asked.

"Because I support the winners," she said.

"Me? A winner?"

"You're winning, are you not?"

"It doesn't feel like it."

She caressed my left cheek. "You have survived so far. And you will survive even longer than anyone I know."

"What do you want, Hecate-san?"

"You don't have to be so formal with me."

"What do you want? I have to get back to my son and my companion. So please quick screwing around with me."

"Fine, fine. I have something to give you."

"What?"

Hecate reached down into her corset and pulled out a small bronze key. "Here you are."

"What is this for?"

"Take it to New York and you will see." She winked and turned to walk away.

"Wait!" I shouted. Hecate stopped and looked over her shoulder.

"Hm?" she asked. I shifted in place for a bit as I pressed my lips together.

"I don't understand it," I said.

"Understand what?" he asked.

"Why are you helping me like this?" I asked. Hecate only smiled.

"Because," she said. "I support the winners." And then, she was gone just as the midnight firework display began. I was left with a key that could go to nowhere. After all these years, I still don't know what the hell that crazy woman is thinking. It annoys me that she toys with me like this. I should've strangled her when I had the chance. Then again, she'd probably enjoy it.

"Mikado-san!" I heard behind me. I turned to see Jessie and Akira-kun running towards.

"Oh," I said. Jessie stopped to catch her breath when they caught up.

"Why did you run off like that?" she asked. "What's going on? Who was that?" I clutched the key in my hand.

"No one," I muttered. "Just a waste of time." I wanted back to the festival.

"You coming?" I asked.

"Oh, right," Jessie said. She and my son ran to follow me back.


	11. Yanagi

Yanagi

_Twilight Town_

-Jessie-

We will leave London still and heading to New York soon. I dread to think about that time. Once we reach New York, it's over. He and Akira-kun will leave me. I won't know how to handle it. I drew my knees to my cheek and rolled over onto my side. I tried not to think about it, but the thought is always there. I could hear it breathing down my neck.

"Shut up!" I yelled. I threw another pillow at the wall. I felt crying again. So stupid. Akira-kun was still sound asleep beside me. Lucky kid. He doesn't know what's going to happen once we reach New York. Or rather, he knew and doesn't say anything. I moved my hand to my chest. Did my master have to be such an asshole at time?

* * *

-Mikado-

I sat in the bar in limbo. I stared down at my drink. No amount of alcohol in world can get me drunk. I don't even like the taste. It's too bitter. I just order it keep warm. I notice that I am not alone anymore.

"Good evening, Maria-san," I said. The bar owner gave him a rare small smile.

"Did you tell her?" she asked.

"Yeah," I said.

"She didn't take it so well?" Maria-san asked. I shook my head.

"You did the right thing," she said. I looked down at my drink.

"Look, you had to do it," Maria-san told me. "You're a tadpole and she's a normal. It just wouldn't work that way." I shook my head.

"It's not that," I said.

"What is it?" she asked.

"I saw Hecate-san again," I said. "She gave me this." I reached into my coat and pulled out the key. Maria-san frowned at me.

"Mikado," she said.

"I know, I know," I said.

"You can't trust her."

"I know."

Maria-san took the key and looked at it. "What is this a key to?"

"I have no idea," I said. "I've tried to see its history, but I come up with nothing. It's probably warded."

"Don't do it," Maria-san said. "She could be tricking you again."

"Perhaps, but I would do anything to undo all of this," I said. Tears welled up in my eyes. "I can't do this anymore. I'm too tired. My friends have long been gone and I can't stand it."

"You don't even know if you can pull it off," she said in a low voice. I gripped my glass.

"I am going to try it," I said. Maria-san looked worried for a minute, but then toughened up.

"Just don't do anything stupid," she said. "Be very careful."

"Thank you," I said. I took that drink and reeled at the taste.

* * *

-Jessie-

I sat up and looked out the window. I'm still mad at him. We haven't been talking much to each other lately. Okay, we don't really talk that much to each other. But it's gotten worse since earlier last month. In truth, I am scared of losing my master. That's always what I have been afraid of. I've survived so far because of him. He saved me. I owe him my life. Now, he wants me to let go of all of that.

"That isn't true," he told me last night. "You can survive on your own."

"But…" I said.

"You have to stop relying on me so much," Mikado told me. "You are a strong woman. I know you will grow to survive on your own." Every one of his words felt like getting stabbed in the chest. The more I think about, the angrier I get.

"Papa's not trying to be mean about it," I heard behind me. I rolled over and saw Akira-kun said asleep beside me. Or, I think he was asleep. I lifted my head.

"He cares so much about you," the child mumbled. "That's why he has to let you go. He's been through so much pain. If he watches you grow old and die, he won't know how to take it. He just wants the pain to stop." I gave that little boy a strange look.

"Are you asleep or are you pretending?" I asked.

"I'm sleeping," Akira-kun said. He turned over in his bed. I looked at that child rather suspect. Who was this little boy really?

* * *

-Mikado-

I began aware of someone sitting next to me. I turned to my left to see a black-haired young woman sitting next to me. She looked like a cosplay idol in her shortened miko outfit. I've seen her before.

"Hello, Isako-chan," I said. She broke into a huge smile.

"Good evening," she said.

"I'm fine," I said. "Shouldn't you be working right now?"

"I am working," Isako said. "You just look so lonely." She leaned onto my shoulder. That's what  _everyone_  says about me. I looked down at my drink.

"I'm fine, thank you," I said. "Really I am."

"Mikado-sama," she said. "Why do you keep lying to yourself? We all know you are in pain. You deserve so much better than this. You keep coming here to dull away your misery. Is that really working for you?"

"Please don't," I said.

"No!" Isako said. "You have to listen! This is not good for you! You do not belong here in limbo or up there in Purgatory. You've found a bond in that girl with you and now you want to chase her away?" I clutched the glass tightly in my hand.

"Enough!" I snapped. "I am so sick of hearing this crap! Jessie can't stay with me. I'm leaving her after we reach New York." Isako titled her head.

"And why is that?" she asked. I sighed and looked up at the deep brown ceiling.

"She will grow old and die," I said. "I can't have another death on my shoulders."

"Isako!" we heard Maria shout. "Leave him alone and get back to work!" The petite bar maid jumped to her feet.

"Yes!" she shouted. Isako hurried back to her corner of the bar. I turned to see Maria setting down a glass she had just finished drying.

"Thank you," I mouthed at her.

"She is right, you know," Maria said. I rolled my eyes.

"Not you too," I said.

"I won't lecture you," she said. "You are free to do as you like. Just know that what happens afterwards will be on you. Enjoy your drink." Maria walked down to the bar to tend to her other patrons. I looked at my drink and sighed.

I hate when she's right.

* * *

-Jessie-

I woke up to see my master sitting on the bed opposite of mine.

"Good morning," he said in low voice. I blinked at him and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes.

"Where did you go last night?" I asked.

"Just out," Mikado said. "Would you like to stay in London for one more day?" My jaw dropped.

"Are you serious?" I asked.

"Yes," he said.

"S-S-Sure," I said. Mikado walked over and kissed his son on the forehead. I'm still a little mad at my master, but he's trying to offer an olive branch for now. I guess I could accept for now.

We already know how this journey will end. But, it won't hurt just to delay it one more day.


	12. Kiri

Kiri

_New York_

The day I dreaded finally came. We got on a plane from London to New York. Heh, a plane. I haven't been on one of those since I first landed in Japan. I sat near the window, looking out. The clouds looked like piles of snow under the sun. My master and I have gotten a little better. We're still not really speaking to each other. He sat in the aisle, lost in his thoughts as usual. Lately, it's like he's really trying to get somewhere. His goal does not involve me. Mikado didn't have to say it. I don't like it, but I have come to accept by now.

"What am I supposed to do when we get to New York?" I asked him as we packed up.

"You will figure it out," he said. "You're not as weak as you think you are. I've held onto you for too long. It's time for me to let you go. I stayed with you up until now just to keep you safe."

"But what if I can't?" I asked.

"I know you can," he said. It annoys me that he was probably right. No, he was right. I just didn't want to let go of him. I was just that scared. Meanwhile, Akira-kun sat between us on the plane. He's got it so easy now that I think about it. He doesn't worry about how this world has gone to shit. He just stays in his innocence as we traveled further west.

"That's how I want it to be," Mikado said on the plane. I glanced over at him. For once, I don't complain about his hearing my thoughts.

"Are you going to leave me right away?" I asked.

"No," he said. I gave him a strange look.

"I thought you were letting me go," I said. "What gives?"

"Not tonight," my master said.

"Huh?" I asked.

"I owe you a dinner out," he said. I narrowed my eyes at him.

"You don't remember, do you?" my master asked. "You asked if we could a dinner together one evening. We'll I'm cashing it in tonight." My jaw dropped.

"Yes, I am serious," he said.

"Wow," I mouthed. We touched down at JFK airport around ten in the morning. It felt almost surreal to be in a packed airport again. I about stumbled backwards with my mouth wide open. My master put his hand on my shoulder.

"Easy there," he whispered. "It's just an airport." I pressed my lips together. Akira-kun looked just as surprised as I did. He ran around with wide eyes and his jaw to the ground.

"Don't go too far, Akira-kun!" I shouted.

"Yes!" he shouted. I'm going to miss him. He's been like a little brother to me. His little smile got me through so much over these years. When I was angry at my master, Akira-kun would calm me down just by being in front of me. I probably would've tried to kill my master if not for him. I just wonder if he's going to be aright in a foreign land with no other people he knows.

"He will be fine," my master told me. I pressed my lips together and looked away. He's determined to hear my thoughts until the bitter end, isn't he? I followed after Akira-kun into the crowd before my master could answer.

"Akira-kun?" I asked. "Akira-kun, wait for me!"

After the trip with customs, we checked into a hotel in downtown Manhattan. As usual, Mikado too care of everything. His fluency in language never failed to amaze me. He says that he just picks it up wherever he goes. The powers of a tadpole, I guess. We didn't really do much around the city. Our phones were working again, but what was the point of using it anymore. I don't have anyone I can call. They are all gone. Mom, Jun, grandma, and Josh. And now Mikado and Akira-kun were going to leave me too. I should've expected this. But why am I still hurting inside?

A tiny hand touched mine. I looked up to see Akira-kun staring up at me. Seeing his little eyes seemed to cheer me up. I smiled and patted him on the head.

"I'm fine," I said. "You don't have to worry about me anymore."

"What do you mean?" Akira-kun asked. I smiled and shook my head.

"It's nothing," I said. I got off of the bed and walked over to the shower. I won't tell him. I guess I want him to be a little more innocent while I'm still around.

* * *

"Are you ready yet?" Mikado asked around six o'clock.

"Not yet!" I shouted from the bathroom.

"We're going to be late," he said.

"I'm just about ready, hang on," I said. I zipped up my red dress. Is this place weren't going to really that fancy? I can never figure out where my master gets his money. I still don't know much about him either. I guess I could try and ask tonight to settle any questions that I have left. I walked out of the bathroom. Mikado stood by the door dressed in a suit. Again, he's not smiling. Would it kill him to smile for once? My master looked me up and down.

"You look nice," he said.

"Thanks," I said.

"Are you ready to go?" my master asked.

"Yes," I said. I walked over to him at the front door.

"Akira-kun, behave yourself, okay?" he asked.

"Yes!" he said.

"Very good," Mikado said. Hikira manifested next to the little boy and my master and I walked out the door. I will miss her too.

I still cannot get over seeing crowded streets at night. I pinched my cheeks.

"It's real," my master said. I nervously laughed.

"I knew that!" I said. He looked so deadpan with his cigarette hanging out of his mouth. I tried to speak, but I couldn't think of anything to say.

"Don't," Mikado said. I closed my mouth. He won't even try? Damn it.

"Just don't," he said again.

"Fine," I grumbled. This will be a rough last night, will it?

We wound up at a five-star Italian restaurant downtown. I whistled aloud.

"Holy shit!" I shouted. "How did you find this place?"

"I looked it up on the internet," Mikado said. I turned to him with big eyes.

"You're kidding," I said. He shook his head.

"Whoa," I said. The bright lights of the building alone dazzled me. My master held out his hand to me.

"Shall we?" he asked.

"Yes," I said. I took him by the arm and followed him to the door. Once again, I let him lead the way. The doorman greeted us.

"Good evening," he said.

"Good evening," Mikado said back. The doorman opened the door. I bowed my head as I followed my master inside. A hostess dressed in black and white greeted us.

"Welcome, welcome," she said. "Welcome to Little Italy. We are so happy to have you here with us tonight. Do you have a reservation?"

"Yes, we do," Mikado said. "Two for Ryugamine-san."

"Right this way," she said. We followed her into the restaurant. Only the candles around lit the way. Old Italian music filled the air. Young and elderly sat at their tables having dinner. Some were on dates. Others were having late business meetings. I smiled and nodded to myself as they stared at us. So this was what a full restaurant was like. Sure, I have seen this many times. But, it's always like a magic show each time.

Mikado put his hand on my shoulder. I turned my head.

"Calm down," he whispered in Japanese. I gave him a sheepish smile as we arrived at our table.

"Here you are," the hostess said. We sat down and she handed us our menus.

"I will have a member of wait staff coming by to serve you," she said. I turned my attention to my master when she walked away.

"How did you know that I like Italian?" I asked him.

"I've heard your thoughts," Mikado admitted. I frowned at him.

"I know nothing about you," I complained. "Why would you let me in?" My master sighed. Now I've done it.

"What is there to say about me?" he asked. "I've lost people close to me."

"So have I," I said.

"No!" Mikado trembled. "You do not understand. It is because of me that they all died. My fiancée, my best friends, both of my gangs, my parents, my friends, and my home. All because of some sick man's promise to that dreadful woman." He looked like he was ready to throw up.

"I used to have a normal," my master lamented. "Then that bastard stole it away from me. Now, he gets away with being dead and I am stuck watching the world die away. Every day, I am reminded of this. I didn't want things to turn out like this."

I blinked at him. "I'm so sorry I asked." My master shook his head.

"No, I owe you that much to say it," he said. "I didn't want you to get close to me."

"I know, you are immortal and I'm not," I said.

"Do you see why?" my master asked. "I don't do this to hurt you. You just can't stay with us." I folded my arms across my chest, frowning.

"I don't like it," I said. "But what choice do I have?" Mikado bowed his head.

"Thank you for understanding," he said. We didn't speak as a waitress came to our table. The rest of dinner was just as silent. My heart still ached for him. All of that death and loss around him. I couldn't do anything for him, but I can't stay with him either. As much as I hate to admit it, but he is right.

My master paid for everything and took care of the tip.

"You don't have to do all of that," I said. Mikado raised his eyebrow.

"Do you have the money to cover this?" he asked.

"Not really…" I mumbled. For once, I saw my master smile for one second.

"Didn't think so," he said. Mikado paid for everything and I just sat there and looked pretty. Different location, same things.

We didn't talk on the way back to the hotel room. What was there to say? I learned all that I could about my master. I won't see him again after tonight. My master shoved his hands into pockets.

"I wish you well," he muttered.

"Thank you," I said. "Same to you too."

"Thanks," he said. Akira-kun would already be asleep by the time we made it back to the room. My heart sank as I remembered when I woke up, I would be alone.

* * *

When I woke up in the room the next morning, I was alone. Part of me wished that I was dreaming. I found a note on the dresser. I got and picked it up.

Jessie-san,

I'm sorry that I had to leave you this way. I have become bad at saying goodbye to your face. You have been a great companion. I have covered your fee for the room. You can stay as long as you need to. I also set up an account for you to get by while you figure out what to do next. Akira-kun understands that he has to leave you. I had to fight with him, but he has now accepted.

I wish you all the best. You are much stronger than you think you are.

Signed, your master

Ryugamine Mikado

I knew this was coming, but I couldn't stop the tears from flowing. Just like that, my security fell from underneath me and disappeared. Once again, I was alone.

By 7:39 a.m., I had calmed down and got ready for my first day on my own in my home country. It didn't feel like home to me. What was going to do now? I've spent my life from ages sixteen to twenty-three feeling someone else's lead. I have never been truly on my own. The thought makes me sad.

I sat in the breakfast café, wondering what I was going to do now. I don't know anyone in Seattle anymore. I doubt they would even remember me anymore. New York probably isn't that bad once I get used to it.

"Excuse me," I heard a man's voice say. I looked up and saw a man about my age with his hand on the chair opposite me. His green eyes had the same calming effect that Josh and my master's eyes had on me. Why couldn't I stop staring at him?

"Is this seat taken?" he asked. I quickly shook my head.

"Oh, no, no," I said. "Go ahead."

"Thanks," this guy said. I don't know why I said the following. It just happened, really.

"Wait," I said. The man looked up at me.

"What is it?" he asked. I cleared my throat.

"I'm new to New York City," I said. "I'm currently trying to get settle and I just need someone to show me around for a little bit today. I mean, if it's not any trouble for you, of course." Well, it was out there now. Part of me hoped that this guy would give me a weird look and turn me down.

But, he smiled and said, "Sure, I have a couple of hours to kill anyway." I smiled and held out my hand.

"My name is Jessie Goodwin," I said. "It's nice to meet you." The guy shook my hand.

"Colin," he said. "Colin Reynolds."

Six months later, we would date. Two years later, I will follow him up to Canada after the plague hits America and marry him. I will only tell him about my master once and never mention him again. We will have a son and he will have a daughter years later. I will die peacefully in Canada.

But for now, Colin and I exchange small chit-chat as I finish my first breakfast as my own woman.

* * *

-Mikado-

I made my way to Grand Central Station. I have Hecate's key in my hand. Akira-kun followed close behind. At least he stopped asking about Jessie-san.

"She's not coming with us anymore," I told him.

"But why?" he asked. I knelt down in front of him.

"Jessie-san's not like us," I said. "We will live on, but she will eventually die." My son looked ready to cry.

"Come on, don't be like that," I said. "Come here." I pulled him into a hug. Akira-kun cried against my chest. Jessie-san was the first one to make him act like a normal child. Until we met her, Akira-kun was quiet and kept to himself. We didn't run into many children while I was looking for Itori-san. I worried about how he would turn out if this kept up. When Jessie-san came into our lives, Akira-kun started to warm up. Maybe Sakura-chan could keep that going for him if I find her and her mother.

Let's see, the key has locker number 419 on the surface. I took in a breath and started walking down the narrow halls. Security cameras would not pick us up. I didn't think about that though. Why would Hecate give me this key? She must have known something about Itori-san and Sakura-chan. But knowing her, she could be toying with me. At worst, this could just be another wild goose chase at my expense. Only one way to find out.

I found the locker towards the end of the hall. Akira-kun clung to my leg. Here is it was. Would I have the answer I was looking for or would I be duped?

I unlocked the door and opened it.

Inside there was a piece of yellow paper folded in half in the middle. I reached in and pulled it out. "1671 Madison Lane. Laney Apartments. Apartment 778". I tilted my head. What was this address to? Akira-kun stood on his tip-toes, trying to look. I looked down at him.

"Want to see where this goes?" I asked.

"Yeah!" he said. I patted him on the head.

"Okay," I said. "We'll get going."

"Yay!" my son cheered. I smiled and closed the locker door.

* * *

We made it to Madison Lane by mid-noon. I located an old apartment building just at the end of the street. I couldn't see any signs of life around it. But, that old chill raced up my spine. When was the last time I felt this? I quickly looked up at the apartment building.

"Can you feel that?" I asked.

"Uh-huh," he said. I knew where I needed to go. I heard Akira-kun leaving my side. He must have found Sakura-chan. I teleported up to the roof.

Low and behold, there was Itori-san looking out on the view. She hadn't changed at all from the last time I saw her. She had her back turned to me dressed in a long brown coat with matching high-heeled boots. I could tell it was her by her long red ponytail.

"You found my note, huh?" Itori-san asked.

"Uh-huh," I said. I walked up to her side. "Lovely isn't it?"

"Yes."

"It's a mess in Japan. It's dead in fact. Nature has reclaimed the land now. All of our friends are dead."

"That's why I left."

"Same with me. How is your daughter?"

"Good. And your son?"

"He's doing good." Mikado took out a cigarette and lit up.

"Still smoking, huh?" Itori-san asked. I chuckled.

"It calms me down," I said.

"It's not good for you, you know?"

"It's not like it will affect us, remember?"

"True, but still…"

"Yeah, yeah." I flicked out my cigarette and frowned. "I am going to fix this."

Itori-san looked up. "Mikado?"

"I will try my best to fix all of this," I said. I turned to her with my cigarette hanging out of my mouth.

"Are you in with me?" I asked. "We can get Yukio-san, Anri-chan, and Masaomi back."

"How are you going to do that?" she asked. "Can you even pull it off? Do you even have a plan?" I looked her deep into the eye.

"I do," I said. "I don't know if it will work, but I am going to try it. However, I can't do it alone. Are you in or not?" Itori-san didn't have to think about her answer.

"Yes," she said. "I will help you." I bowed my head.

"Thank you, Itori-san," I said.

"You still talk so polite, don't you?"

"Old habit, I guess."

"Ah." We looked down at the city. Pretty soon, New York and most of America will be taken by the plague in a more hideous form yet.

* * *

-Outside-

On the ground, Akira wandered around as little flakes of snow started falling from the sky. He froze as another chill raced up his little spine. The little boy looked up to see a girl about his age peeking out from behind an old sofa in the alley next to the apartment building. He slowly walked over to her. The little girl leapt up, hand accidentally touching the couch. The stuffy light brown material started breaking down and turning into dust beside her. The poor child screamed and took off running. Akira took off running after her.

It didn't take him long to close the gap between them. Akira caught her by the shoulder. The girl turned around with wide eyes. Itori could be seen in them. The little girl trembled at first. She could already see what was coming next.

But to her surprise, the little boy didn't break down into dust. He was still standing in front of her. Akira broke into a big smile. The little girl, Sakura, started to blush. So many thoughts ran through the little girl's head. She didn't even know what was happening or why she did what she did next.

She leaned in and kissed him on the lips. Akira didn't push her off. Instead, he slowly took hold of her. He himself didn't know what to make us this. But somehow, he was happy to see another child just like him in this mad world.


End file.
